While You Were Sleeping
by The Third Biker Scholar
Summary: TheGodlessAngelOfDarkness's Challenge. Jack, like all seasonal spirits, has to hibernate in the off season. He chooses the Warren as his place to sleep, but unknown to him, Bunnymund is about to go into heat! How long can Bunny resist the sight of a sleeping winter spirit? Cover art by Asameshii at Deviantart
1. Season Come and Go

TheGodlessAngelOfDarkness's challenge and my attempt at it. Viva la JackRabbit!

While You Were Sleeping...

Chapter 1

Mother Nature, the Guardian of the Seasons, had made sure that all of the seasonal spirits hibernate in their off seasons for the different regions of the world. This would give the spirits time to rest and recharge their powers, drawing the magic from the Earth as they slept. And it would also keep the different seasonal spirits from fighting. Normally, this wasn't a problem, since none of them would see each other.

But a few of the more powerful desert Summer spirits had become positively feral. It had actually gotten rather bad within the last 40 years. Those 5 spirits had started straying out of their territories, deliberately hunting winter and autumn spirits in their resting places. Mostly they had just scared them, or kept them from sleeping, which had denied the colder spirits their recharge time. This had caused a shift in weather patterns around the world, where there winters and falls weren't as cold as they needed to be. Other spirits were trying to help the autumn and winter spirits to catch up, but it would easily take years to repair the damage.

Last year had surely be the worst. When the Guardians had been distracted with fighting Pitch Black and recruiting Jack, the desert spirits had gone hunting. They had found and captured a winter sprite from the mountains of the Swiss Alps. To the horror of every seasonal spirit, and the absolute rage of Mother Nature, they had killed that poor sprite. The culprits were currently hiding deep in the Sahara desert, too afraid of Mother Nature's wrath to emerge.

Still, every winter and autumn spirit on Earth was now seeking extra measures to ensure they were safe as they hibernate.

Jack Frost was no exception.

* * *

Jack hated hibernation. The idea of being stuck asleep for 6 months out of the year wouldn't really appeal to anyone, but especially not the Guardian of Fun. And when you were stuck hiding in some hole or cave, praying that no one found you while you slept, it didn't exactly make for good dreams. He would admit that he badly needed it after the winter he'd had. The year before, when he'd become a Guardian, he'd almost collapsed into a coma the night of their victory. He'd used more of his powers than he'd even known existed, and the drain on him had taken a heavy toll.

The young spirit had managed to stagger out into the deep snow surrounding Santoff Clausen under the moonlight, and had sank into a deep, deep sleep. It had taken Sandy tracking him down by his dreams to reassure the very worried Guardians that he was alright. They had quickly moved him to a room with the windows open, keeping it cold all spring and summer to protect their winter spirit as he'd slept.

Now that he was a Guardian, he was actually not so upset about hibernation this year. He could go somewhere protected, and he knew just the right spot. North, with the best of intentions, had a bad tendency to check in on him too much for him to really sleep well, and Tooth's Palace was far too busy and noisy. Sandy didn't really have a place. But Bunny, oooh, Bunny's place was perfect.

Peaceful, quiet, almost completely undisturbed by anyone; it was a seasonal spirit's dream come true for a hibernation space. Not to mention, who would think to find a winter spirit in a land of eternal spring? Of course, he hadn't exactly mentioned the sprite's death or the desert spirits to the other Guardians. Why make them worry? He would be just fine in Bunny's Warren; it was one of the safest places on Earth, so he saw no need to make them post a guard or anything.

Jack quietly flew into the Warren, using as little of his powers as he could to not draw attention to himself. It was Easter Sunday, and MiM alone knew how Bunny would go off if he messed anything up today of all days. Bunny had been working overtime this year to make up for the disaster of last Easter, and had been all but tearing his own fur out in stress. Jack had done his best to keep the snowfall under an inch in the last few days to be sure that the weather would be perfect for Bunny's holiday. But now, sweet MiM, he was so tired!

Jack flew to a quiet spot by the paint flowers, under a large group of bushes with big leaves and colorful blooms with a very soft, sweet scent. Soft moss covered the ground, and he could hear the sounds of the paint river flowing deeper in the valley. It was the perfect spot. He tucked his staff by the roots of a bush, taking off his hoodie and spreading it on the ground to lay on. Exhaustion was pulling at him with every breath he took, and the winter spirit groaned softly as he lay down. It would feel good to rest this year. He blinked up at the light filtering through the bushes' leaves, smiled, and fell to sleep.

* * *

Good lord, I hope I can do this. The Challenge goes:

1.) Rise of the Guardian Request/Challenge

2.) Yaoi & Mature Rating

3.) Must go with plot below at least...

The original plot was that all the seasonal spirits hibernate til the season before their own. During the time Jack sleeps he decides to sleep under a willow in the Warren. Jack's hibernation takes place, ironically, the day after Easter! E. Aster Bunnymund finds him and gets annoyed, but lets him sleep. After a day or two Bunny starts to go into heat, like he normally does, and smells Jack. Needless to say EVENTUALLY Bunny's instincts to mate would get the better of him and he would take Jack. He would feel horribly, but go with the thought that Jack would never know since he was asleep. Though when Jack awakes Bunny guilt's only grows along with his shame.

What Bunny doesn't know that even though Jack was hibernating at the time he woke up during Bunny's...fun...but played asleep.!. He then decides to toy with Bunny's guilt over what he did by teasing him and hinting about what he did without fully giving it away.

Wish me luck, folks!


	2. Now You're Here with Me

*eyes wide* Omg. I had no idea this would have ever gotten the attention that it has. I'm so grateful! Thank you everyone that has read and reviewed!

Things get a bit more steamy from here on out. *grins*

Chapter 2

Easter Sunday was finally over, the moon just beginning to rise in Australia. Children were sleeping peacefully, their baskets full of spectacular eggs. It had been a really good Easter this year, Bunny had made sure of it. He could already feel the belief of the children bolstering his strength, and right now, he needed it. The last main tunnel to Australia had the Pooka stumbling down it. A very exhausted Bunnymund was all but dragging himself to his den, the comfortable nest he slept in practically calling his name.

The mirrors that Bunnymund had built so many centuries ago to reflect the sun's light over the underground Warren had been angled to only let in light enough to mimic the moon and stars during the night. Flower blooms were shut for the night, the few birds and insects that lived there going back to their nests. The soft grass and moss felt so good on his aching back paws. He was really looking forward to sleeping like the dead for about a week. But a faint chill in the air made his ears twitch, and he sniffed deeply. "Frostbite," he groaned softly, his shoulders slumping. "Really? Now?"

The Guardian of Hope followed the traces of the peppery, sweet, male scent that Jack had, walking down toward the paint river. He found the winter spirit under the bushes, sleeping peacefully, and Bunny found himself with a faint blush at the sight of Jack spread out on the moss with no shirt. Not a trace of frost or snow was anywhere to be seen, to the Pooka's confusion. _No ice, no pranks, no nothing. What in the world is he doing here? Come to think of it, I've never seen him sleep unless he was...ooooh no. Not here_. "Not here!" Bunny exclaimed. "You can't hibernate here, ya dill!"

Jack just slept on, not even twitching at Bunny's shout.

"Yep, that's hibernatin'," Aster muttered. The kid couldn't have had worse timing. So much for working through his rut in peace.

Every year, about a week after Easter, Bunnymund would shut himself away in his den for the next three days to go through his heat. Three days of the jitters, fantastical wet dreams, sticky bedding, and extreme irritability. And during this time, any male that stepped foot in his Warren would be quickly shone out, often violently, in a display of territorial dominance. North and Sandy had been no exception to that rule and had worked to help keep others away during this time of the year.

And apparently no one had thought to tell Jack. Honestly, Bunny could see why. It was only three days during Jack's off season. The kid would normally be hibernating by the time Aster's rut started, so he should have been perfectly safe. 'Should have been', were the key words.

"He can't stay here, he can't," Bunny muttered. The sheer scent of another male would be enough to drive the territorial Pooka up the wall during rut. He could throw Jack out in a fit of rage if he didn't get the winter spirit out of the Warren soon, which could do Jack serious harm if his hibernation was disrupted. The grey furred Guardian shook his head and bent down to carry the younger spirit out, ready to carry him to Santoff Clausen*. He got as far as putting both arms under the boy and beginning to lift him from the ground-

-and yelped in pain when a blue electric spark zapped his arms, making him drop the boy. The Pooka blinked, wondering, and then facepalmed, using his own magic to take a look at the area around Jack. Bunny grit his teeth at what he found; he should have known. Jack was in a critical part of his hibernation stage: the energies of the earth were just beginning to pour into the spirit's vastly depleted reserves of magic. The earth itself would protect him from harm for the first few days of his sleep, but after that, the kid was on his own.

The Pooka shook his head, one hand running over his long ears in frustration. In a way, it was flattering that Frostbite had chosen his Warren to hibernate in. It meant that Jack felt safer here than he did anywhere else in the world, and, (though Bunny would never admit it), that meant quite a bit to the gruff Guardian.

It also meant that the bloody show pony would be here during his rut, which might not be so safe for the kid if Bunny's instincts got out of hand. Mercifully, with the winter spirit unconscious, he couldn't do anything to provoke Bunny into angering him other than producing a tiny little scent. It wasn't even an aggressive or unpleasant smell, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Just peppermint and a bit of musk. He could grin and bear it.

And after all, it was just three days.

Aster could handle three days of annoyance, right?

Right.

...if it had only been three days.

* * *

The three days of his rut had come, and to the Pooka's shock, Jack's scent hadn't triggered any aggressive behavior at all. Sweet peppermint and cool musk had permeated what seemed like every inch of the Warren to Bunny's sensitive nose. He found himself breathing that scent in deep, gulping breaths, like it was food and he was starving.

Jack's scent had triggered desire.

Of course, that would have then triggered quite a bit of a freak out and some serious soul-searching under normal circumstances. But these circumstances certainly didn't count as normal. Rut had a bad tendency to mess with Aster's mind, clouding his judgement and increasing his instincts to a much higher level of control. This part of Bunny didn't mind desiring Jack at all.

The dreams had come first. Dreams of pale arms around him, a soft mouth to kiss, a cool, sure touch that stroked icy fingers through his fur. A playful mouth sucking on the tips of his ears, laughter at the touch of his fur, a soft moan as he ran blunted claws over cool white skin. Thin, strong legs that parted for him, all clothing gone, wrapping around his hips as he pulled Jack closer-

Bunny would jerk awake from those dreams, sweating, aching, and harder than a rock. It didn't help that he could barely sleep, and while awake, he'd have almost feverish daydreams of Jack. Jack sleeping and moaning in a wet dream, Jack grinning and running as Bunny chased him down to mate, Jack playing with Buuny's fur before submitting to him, Jack bathing naked in the small pool of the spring Bunny had in the back of the Warren as Bunny watched-

Aster had been forced to lock himself into his den, his furred hands constantly twitching to reach out and touch the winter spirit. The Pooka couldn't tell when he was awake or asleep anymore, his rut hitting him like a two-by-four to the face. He didn't dare go outside until his rut was over, thanking MiM it was only three days long. Aster didn't trust himself around Jack right now.

But then came a fourth day of rut.

And a fifth.

A sixth, seventh, eighth!

Later, when Bunnymund was thinking clearly again, he would realize what had happened. The reason that this had never happened when North or Sandy had come to the Warren before was that the two males were dominates, strong and in their prime, like Bunny. He would eagerly fight with a dominate in his rut. But Jack wasn't a true dominate. Jack smelled like the perfect candidate for a mate to Bunny's long-starved body. A young, healthy mate, strong and brave that he already liked; what did it matter to a heat-mad Pooka what gender or species Jack was? The scent of such a mate had driven Aster's instincts into maximum overdrive.

And if Bunny wouldn't mate with him in just three days, clearly, his body thought that he needed more time in heat.

* * *

...please let me know what you think!


	3. Mad About You

*bows before you all* Holy Mother of God. I am completely blown away by the response to this. I never thought this would take off like it has. I am so grateful to you all! I hope I will continue to please.

This chapter is definitely a higher rating. Bunny is slowly going out of his mind, and its going to get *intense*.

Chapter 3

Day 8

The Warren was peaceful and quiet. Sunlight reflected down through the mirrors, the plants blooming and growing in the simulated springtime. Jack slept, worry-free and secure in his little copse by the stream.

The same could not be said for E. Aster Bunnymund. His earthen den was in complete disarray. Vines summoned by Bunnymund's magic had grown over the den's few windows, and thick roots had barricaded the door shut. Enough space was left to let in the slightest breeze and a little light, but the plants were strong, thick, and tough. All the better to keep their master locked inside.

A panting Bunny lay on the packed dirt floor by his nest, too far gone in his daydream to care. Sweat matted his fur, his belt and holsters tossed to the side as restless hands roamed over his own body. That scent, that beautiful, _maddening_ scent filled his nose, his head, his lungs, his entire being. Peppery, sweet, musky, male, young, strong, it smelled so good! A shaking hand reached down to his aching length, pumping and stroking it as Bunny clenched his eyes shut.

All he could think of was moonlight over pale, soft skin and what he wanted his hands to really be touching on that teenage body. He wondered if Jack had ever touched himself, did he think of someone as he did it, or just to feel pleasure? Did he ever moan out their name as he stroked his cock? Did he blush as he masturbated, shy as a virgin? Or did he moan and scream to the sky as he came, loudly calling out for a lover only he could see?

His hand worked faster over his cock, his hips thrusting up to meet his hand. The other hand slipped down to rub at his testes, the sacs almost swollen from rut.

He wondered more about Jack. Did Jack ever stroke off thinking about the other Guardians? Did he ever think about Bunny? Did Jack ever want Bunny to find him rubbing off? Did Jack ever call out for Aster as he came, wishing the Pooka was there to watch the winter spirit come?

Aster's hand gripped himself hard at the thought of Jack rubbing cool hands over his own cock, moaning and panting and groaning. He rubbed himself harder, faster, and surely he was just imagining he could hear Jack gasp out his name-

-and the Pooka came with a gasp, jerking awake from his dream as he spent all over his hand. He gasped for breath, trying to calm down, but he couldn't! He was still hard, still aching, still so damn horny for Jack that he couldn't stand it!

* * *

Day 11

_Aster had Jack pinned against the wall of his den, kissing the boy deeply as he reached down to lift him up by his thighs. Jack gasped as Bunny nipped at his shoulder, taking in his delicious smell, the boy's legs wrapping around the Pooka's waist. "Oh god, it feels so good when you do that," The winter spirit moaned softly as he dragged his fingers through the thick grey and white fur. "Please, Bunny!"_

_Aster licked down his pale neck, breathing in his sweet, cold scent, his hands roaming down Jack's sides and chest, reaching for his hips to pull them closer. Jack gasped, biting his lip, fighting the urge to grind his hips over Bunny's hard length. "Bunny?" Jack moaned, a blush frosting over his face. "I, I've kind of never, um, done this before, oooh yeah, there..."_

_"Shh, Frostbite, I got ya," Aster said, his voice low. He began to rock against Jack, rubbing their erections together. All he could think about was how if he lifted his boy up just a few more inches, sweet god, they'd be_-

Bunnymund woke with a hoarse scream of frustration, coming against the wall where he'd been leaning in a form of sleep-walking. He slowly slid to the floor, moaning in something almost like pain as he slowly grew hard again. He couldn't take much more of this. He hadn't been able to tell at all if that was a dream or not. Thank MiM he'd barricaded himself into his den, or he would probably be doing something horrible.

* * *

Day 14

_His teeth scraped and nipped Jack's neck, then moving lower to suck at a stiff nipple, biting down to his naval, lower still as he pushed those brown pants off. Aster licked and sucked down Jack's belly, loving the sound of Jack's husky voice growing louder with his moans. Finally, Bunny reached Jack's stiff cock, licking under the head as he rubbed his own erection against Jack's thigh. Here, Jack's incredible scent was strongest, his arousal giving a low, musky depth to the peppermint smell Aster loved so much._

_Cool hands reached down for his hips, pulling Bunny to lay on his side. Jack moved to lay opposite of him, his head at Bunny's hips as Aster took the boy's cock into his mouth. Jack cried out in pleasure as he leaned forward, taking the Pooka's full length into his mouth, sucking and licking. Aster moaned in pleasure at the sight of Jack's pale pink lips around him, hips jerking forward to fuck that delicious mouth as the Pooka worked on giving Jack the best orgasm of his life_-

Aster nearly cried as he woke up on the floor again, coming for the fifth time that morning. A hand reached out to pull his mate closer, but found nothing. Where was Jack? Why wasn't he here with...oh. Dreaming. He'd been dreaming.

Right?

* * *

Day 19

Where...where was Jack? Why couldn't he find Jack?

Bunny closed his eyes in a blink, opened them-

_Jack looked up at his mate, his mouth hovering over the aching cock Bunny was sporting and the winter spirit looked very proud of himself. He smiled, then bent his head back down, and then Aster's cock was surrounded by a warm wetness that made his toes curl up. He looked down at Jack, who had taken him completely into his mouth and was suckling lightly. Bunny let out a hoarse cry as the vibrations rocketed through him. His hands tangled into Jack's white hair and he arched his hips up, pushing himself further into the spirit's willing mouth._

_Jack worked him for a few incredible minutes more before he pulled back, leaving Bunny's cock wet and slick. He moved up to lay beside the Pooka, guiding one furred hand to this hip. Bunny breathed in his mate's scent deeply, arousal growing at the lite smell. "Touch, touch me," Jack panted softly. "I want you so much."_

_Aster's hands reached out_-

-and touched nothing, no Jack, no warmth, no nothing as he blinked up at the earthen ceiling, a keening cry pulling from his throat. Tears streaked down his cheeks. Where was Jack? Why did he keep disappearing?! Why couldn't he find Jack?

Bunny closed his eyes in a blink, opened them-

_They moved together in the dark, panting softly as their hips snapped together in a beautiful heat. Lips met a furred muzzle in sloppy kisses, tongues darted out, tasting, teasing. Jack groaned, his nails digging into Aster's back as the Pooka sucked on his throat._

_Bunny pinned Jack's hands to the floor and moved back, just enough so that he could see his mate's face. He smirked down at the boy. "Stop fightin' me, Jackie. Ya know I'll win."_

_"Is that so, Kangaroo?" Jack panted with a smirk, arguing even as he raised his head up for a kiss. His legs locked tightly around Bunny's waist, and he rolled. Taken by surprise, the Pooka found himself on his back, with his mate seated on top of him._

_Jack moaned louldy in pleasure. The change in position forced Aster's cock deeper into his body, and the spirit threw his head back, panting, and enjoying the increased pressure. "Does this mean I win?" Jack asked as he rolled his hips._

_Bunny groaned at the feeling of Jack's tight body around his length. "Do tha' again, and then ya win, mate." Jack rolled his hips again, raising himself up slightly before he dropped back down. The movement drew identical cries from both of them. Hands gripped the boy's waist, helping him rise and fall on Aster's thick length. Jack's scent soaked the air around them, driving Aster mad with want. Bunny spread his legs, bending them and pressing his feet flat to the floor. He thrust up hard, and Jack shrieked as his prostate was stabbed with every one of the Pooka's movements._

_"I love you," Jack breathed. He lowered his head, offering his mouth to his lover. Aster claimed his lips willingly. Their kisses grew sloppier as their release grew nearer._

_"Love you too," Bunny panted as heat began pooling in his groin. "Feels so good." He took one hand off of Jack's hip and began to rub the boy's erection. He stroked harshly, in long even pulls, and Jack cried out, arching his back and pushing himself down onto Aster's lap-_

-and Bunnymund wailed in delusion as his mate disappeared again, his claws gouging into the dirt.

Why?! Where was his Jack?! How did he keep disappearing? He could still smell his mate's scent here, there, everywhere, he was here! Where did he go?!

Bunny closed his eyes to blink, opened them-

* * *

Day 20

The ground was torn in some places, the walls gouged out in several rooms from the force of the paws that had torn them down. Furniture was smashed to pieces in every room of Bunny's home. One of the windows that looked out onto the sunny Warren was forced open, vines shredded in a small hole. Roots had been ripped out of the earth, and the door was ripped off it hinges.

Aster was loose in the Warren.

* * *

...sh*t just got real. Not to mention, for this challenge, Bunny had to have his instincts go out of control and take Jack. First off, Bunnymund is thousands of years old; I imagine that he's got quite a lot of self-control I'd have to compensate for. Not to mention, such a good, decent person would have to be completely out of his mind to even conceive of raping a friend, especially knowing their pre-existing emotional damage and trust issues. Imho, Bunny would never hurt Jack like that unless he was so out of it that he _truly_ did not know what he was doing anymore.

This is my reasoning, anyway.

Please review and let me know what you think!


	4. Chains Keep Us Together

*stares at the screen* I...I have no idea what to say. The response to this has been so overwhelming and all of you have been so kind! Thank you so much for your support and reviews, they're the reason I can update like this.

Oh! And here is something for all Jackrabbit shippers. There is a lovely artist called Methegirl on DeviantArt. She is, well, solely responsible for this fic by inspiring it with her incredible pic. Granted, this picture is RATED M, so if you're too young to see such things, well, you know better. Please see the bottom of the chapter for the address.

Enjoy.

Chapter 4

_Where?!_ Where was he, where was Jack, here was Jack's scent! Sweet cold peppermint, clean and pure and perfect! _Perfect_! Where?! _Where was his Jack?!_

Bunnymund moved in great leaps and bounds through the sunlit Warren, his nose his only guide now. Jack's scent had seemed to spread to every inch of the soft grass and bright flowers of his home, and Aster was determined to search until his found his Jack. His mate was here, all he had to do was find him.

And claim him.

Finally, Aster traced his scent to under the bushes, and sleeping under the leaves was his Jack. Aster stopped at the edge of the little clearing under the large leaves, nearly crooning in delight at the sight of his boy. "Found you, Jackie-boy, finally, finally found ya! Can't disappear now, can ya?"

Hair as fair as the moon, skin pale yet flush with sleep, strong, thin arms curled onto his side. Here now was his beautiful, powerful mate! Green grass and moss underneath him made his pale skin almost shine in the faint sunlight. But that abomination of brown canvas on his legs had to go, had to go now, right now, nothing was allowed to hide his Jack's body from him!

Aster moved forward, sniffing up Jack's legs as he leaned over the boy. His claws dug into the soft moss on either side of his mate as he breathed in his wonderful scent. He brought his teeth down, shivering as his nose touched Jack's belly, and bit through the waistband of the pants. Eager hands pulled the brown canvas off his legs, and flung them over Bunny's shoulder. Now, he could see his mate. Ooh, his legs were just as perfect as the rest of him, long and lean and strong, leading to thin hips and a resting cock that looked to be a surprising 8 inches when erect. Bunny couldn't be more pleased at the sight of his mate. "My beaut of a mate. My Jack..."

And Jack was still sleeping, oh good, sleeping, couldn't run away now, couldn't disappear like every other time, thank MiM! His mate couldn't leave him if he was sleeping. No more being alone, waking up alone, arms empty and crying out for him, and all alone... Aster couldn't help how his arms shook as he moved over the boy, sliding his arms underneath him to hold on and not let go. He was near laying his full weight on top of Jack, and the moment he felt Jack's full body against his-

He began to move, unable to stop himself. Rubbing his fur over Jack's skin, rocking his hips over Jack's pale thighs, pulling Jack closer with every move, nuzzling and kissing at Jack's neck and jaw. He felt Jack's dick slowly come to life under his belly, the fur and warmth bringing pleasure to a still dreaming spirit as his cock went fully erect. Aster's length was full and hard already, rubbing against the cool skin that he wanted to paint with cum, to lick and suck and nip and hold, oh MiM, it felt so good-

Bunny came with a low moan on Jack's thighs in thick jets of pearly white cum, but he didn't stop, couldn't stop rocking his hips against Jack. His mate hadn't come, not yet, his Jack needed pleasure too, or he would disappear again, _nonononono_, don't disappear! Aster grew hard again as he nuzzled and licked at Jack's neck, his hips thrusting against Jack's thighs, his stomach rubbing more firmly against Jack's erection

And Jack came with a soft gasp, his eyes still closed in sleep. Cum splashed over Aster's cock, soaking the air around them with his purest, strongest scent of mint and magic and musk. Bunny nearly screamed in joy as he moved faster, rubbing himself over Jack's lean body again, needing the pleasure again. That scent, the wonderful pure scent, he loved it, wanted it, needed more of it; he needed Jack so badly! His mate would give him more of that addictive scent, right?

Aster rocked harder against Jack and came again, screaming in pleasure as Jack moved the slightest bit beneath him. The Pooka pulled just a bit back to look at his Jack again, and nearly lost his breath at the sight of the slight flush on his mate's cheeks; his nipples hard and begging to be touched; his skin so creamy pale that it needed to be tasted and licked. It would be a sin not to!

Bunny's tongue licked at Jack's neck once more, nipping with his buck teeth and delighting as Jack made a soft sound of pleasure in his sleep. He moved down, nipping and sucking across the boy's chest until he came to the pale pink nipples, biting gently. Jack practically purred as Aster's hands stroked over his sides and shoulders, and Aster slid further down to lick down the skin of his belly and finally down to the winter spirit's cock. His hands slid down to Jack's hips, lifting him up as Bunny eagerly took him into his mouth, careful of his teeth. Jack gasped again, his body shifting to lay on his back, and Aster began to suck that cool flesh with positively greedy abandon. Long strokes with his tongue, sucking back harder with each bob of his head, and sweet MiM, the sounds Jack made as he sucked!

The Pooka came from the sound alone, his sounds vibrating down his throat and made the boy come too, this time with a low moan that nearly sent Aster into another orgasm with how sexy it sounded. He swallowed Jack's cum, feeling tiny, icy tendrils of magic begin to form in his chest. Bunny couldn't be happier at feeling that delicious chill that shivered over his body.

His mate was sharing his magical power; finally, finally, finally! Jack, by releasing his magic into Bunny, had accepted the beginnings of the bond. With every bit of magic shared between them, the stronger the mating bond would be. And now, oh thank MiM, now, Aster could give his magic in return. He would have a real mate! Jack would be his mate forever and ever, and never leave him again.**

Aster began to lick over Jack's cock and sac with his long tongue, cleaning up every drop of cum he might have missed. The Pooka lifted Jack's legs up over his shoulders, breathing his mate's pure, clean scent and shivering in pleasure at how good Jack's legs felt around him. He licked further, down Jack's perineum and to his tightly puckered hole. Bunny laved this area with his tongue, wetting it thoroughly with his saliva. The winter spirit moaned loudly in his sleep, his thighs twitching apart. That was all the readiness the Pooka needed to feel.

Aster was almost churring as he moved up, pulling Jack's thighs down from his shoulders to settle at his hips, pressing the head of his thick cock to the boy's hole. The spit eased the way just barely, and Bunny growled low into Jack's neck as he pushed slowly forward. Jack whimpered and shifted in his sleep, and Aster crooned softly to his mate to soothe him as he kept up his steady pace of pushing into that tight, warm hole. "My Jack, my beaut of a mate, shhh luv. I won't hurt ya, neva' hurt ya, shhh, shhh."

He licked at the sprite's neck, nipping at his collar and down to the nipples that were still hard. His claws traced over Jack's hips and thighs, slowly pulling the boy closer to himself until every inch of his 10 inch cock was finally buried inside his mate. Jack whimpered again, pain in the clench of his eyes and parted lips.

The Pooka would later thank his martial arts training for his flexibility as he bent further down to lick and suck at Jack's limp cock. His hips began to move back at the same time as his mouth took in the cool flesh of the boy's dick, his tongue working under the head and sides. Just as Bunny had nearly pulled out all the way, Jack began to grow hard. Bunny smiled around the sprite's length, firmly rubbing his tongue and sucking back. Jack moaned softly as Aster worked, his faint whimpers growing as Aster slowly pushed back inside his hole.

Jack's legs tensed, pulling Bunny closer and giving the slightest thrust up to meet the Pooka's mouth, his whimpers changing to soft moans. Aster groaned in pleasure as the act pushed him further into Jack's hole. Bunny began to quicken his thrusts, unable to hold back any longer. He sucked and licked and pumped and thrust, harder and longer and deeper each time. Jack's fingers clenched in the grass, the boy rolling his head side to side as he moaned, eyes moving behind still closed lids.

Within minutes, Jack came into Aster's mouth with a cry and the Pooka screamed around him in ecstasy as more icy magic pooled in his chest. It all felt so good, so incredibly good, his mate under him and his boy's magic thrumming inside him. Aster lowered the sprite's cock from his mouth and leaned back, pulling Jack's thighs fully to his hips as he buried himself deep into his mate. Bunny panted, feeling his own magic gathering, and began to thrust once again. Pumping in hard and deep and fast, his hips pistoning in and out of Jack, until finally he came.

Pleasure screamed through every tight muscle of his body, magic flowing out with his cum and filling Jack, finishing the bond between them both. Aster howled, his claws digging into Jack's thighs as his orgasm seemed to never end, still thrusting deeply into his new mate.

He was still semi-hard when he came down from his high, pulling out from Jack. He looked down at his mate, taking in the faintly flushed skin, the red marks from his claws, and many nips and bites that littered his neck and shoulders. The marks were already fading, Jack's magic healing the small bruises and scratches easily. Bunny gently licked the sweat from Jack's body, and paid special attention to Jack's cock, sac, and hole as he licked him clean. The act aroused Jack again, and Aster eagerly sucked him to completion. Despite being fully hard now, he found himself exhausted. The Pooka moved them both so that he was fully spooned behind Jack, a gentle furred hand lifting up one pale leg to slowly slide back inside his mate. He sent one hand down to stroke and rub at the boy's cock. Jack gasped softly, his body tensing, and Bunny nipped at the back of his neck, gently setting his teeth to him as the older male began to lazily thrust.

Jack suddenly twitched and the choked sound of a gasp told Bunny that he had finally found his mate's prostate. He began to increase the speed of his hips, his cock sliding in and out easily from the cum still inside the boy to act as lube. Jack began to slowly move with him, his moans breathless and low from the double stimulation of Bunny's hand stroking his cock and the hard, thick length hitting his prostate. Aster felt more magic building up as the pressure in his balls grew, and pumped harder, hitting that spot inside his mate each time. He felt the body beside him grow tight and tense even as Jack's hips rocked back to meet his thrusts.

Aster came again, fire and magic roaring through him as he shouted in pleasure. And Jack came bare seconds later, throwing his head back in a silent scream of ecstasy, and unknown and unseen to Bunny-

-shocked blue eyes wide open in the first orgasm he could ever remember.

* * *

It would be later, when Bunnymund was thinking clearly again, that the Pooka would realize what he and Jack had done. Not just physically, but magically. And he would be devastated with guilt, not just for the act but all its consequences, for centuries to come.

The purely physical act of sex and physical mating had no bearing on the magical aspect of it. Two magical beings could have sex for years at a time and not from any kind of magical bond. Spirits could create a bond of any kind with their innate magic; it came from the very source of their being, their souls. Creating a magical bond, whether it was between spirits, a spirit and a familiar or animal, or even a bond between a spirit and a place, took infusing both parties with their own magic. Both parts had to 'share' the magic, and by this, sustain the magical bond they had created. A mating or marriage bond was the same.

Of course, most spirits had had some form of teaching and magical education about this at some point in their lives. The majority of magical beings had been taught how to control their magics to prevent any sort of accidental bond from forming, mainly by exercising special techniques that could help them retain control of their magic. This way, spirits didn't just leak out their magics in a fit of strong emotion* or very strong physical sensation like pain or pleasure. Jack, as a young spirit without any form of magical guidance for hundreds of years, had no idea about any of this and thus had never been taught how to control his magic like that.

And the Guardians, not quite grasping just how lacking their Jack's magical education was, never thought twice about teaching him about it. They assumed that since he'd never had any magical bonds before, that surely he already knew how to control himself like that. So why bring it up?

Bunnymund had assumed the same thing as well. (He would be kicking himself for that for a very long time.) Spirits and Pookas were very alike in this aspect of bonding. Pookas could have sex as much as they wanted and have it mean nothing; the expression 'fuck like rabbits' had originally been about Pookas. But Pookas bonded, or mated, by sharing their innate magic, their very essence and life force, during sex. And Jack, by accidentally leaking his magic with every drop of cum he'd given, had unknowingly initiated a mating bond with Aster.

Thousands of years of celibacy, without even the scent of an eligable mate to tempt him, had driven the Pooka's instincts to their breaking point. E. Aster Bunnymund could no more have stopped his instinctual response anymore than he could have stopped the dawn. He'd gathered his magic and reciprocated; his mating had poured a bit of his thousands of years of magic and power into his new lover. It had 'sealed the deal', as the humans say, of the mating bond between Jack and Aster. The very nature of the bond was permanent. Jack could not break it, nor could Aster, not without dying first.

The bond was also permanently exclusive. Jack could never share a bond of any kind with another being ever again without Bunny's express permission. The only way to even attempt it would have to involve Bunny, as the bond would have to be with Aster as well. Jack could never get married, never have a familiar, never have even the faintest hint of interest in another lover. The Pooka's mating bond would not allow it without Aster's permission.

When Bunnymund would realize what he'd done, he would be riddled with guilt for not only raping Jack...

...he had effectively taken away Jack's freedom to ever love another being.

* * *

* During the movie, just after Sandy's 'death', when Jack is overwhelmed by that flood of Nightmares, he was probably scared spitless. This certainly counts as a very strong emotion, and thus tugged on his powers. This caused his magic to not just leak, but _gush _out in a tidal wave of power that had frozen the black sand and destroyed so many Nightmares. Thus, when Jack is asked by Toothainia how he performed such powerful magic, he says rather honestly that he doesn't know. Because he was never taught how to stop it from leaking out, and doesn't even know that this is what was happening.

* * *

...*blushes*. The smut is not over, just so you know. And someone mentioned the summer spirits in a review; don't worry, I haven't forgotten them. We'll be seeing Protective!Bunny soon.

Here's the address to the picture she made, 'Jackrabbit - Fog in the Warren'. Just remember to remove the spaces. methegirl . deviantart art / Jackrabbit-Fog-in-the-Warren- 349722179 Please let her know I sent you, lol! And remember, RATED MATURE! If you're too young to see things rated M, DO NOT GO LOOK AT IT!

Please review!


	5. Getting Warmer

Thank you all. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all for your reviews, your very kind words, and all your encouragement.

I know I said the smut isn't over, and it isn't! It will make another, longer appearance in the next chapter, along with those mysterious summer spirits. I'll try to get the next chapter out faster than this one, lol.

Enjoy.

Chapter 5

Jack dreamed.

He had always dreamed in his hibernation, but normally they were... well, normal dreams. They were divided between trippy little things that took you on a crazy ride that tended to not make a lot of sense, or the truest, deepest, most desperate desire of his heart: that was what dreams were like for Jack Frost. Every hibernation's set of dreams tended to be the same. Finding a believer. Finally being spoken to, listened to; finally feeling someone's touch, even if only the faintest bit of warmth on his fingers. Last year's events had literally been a long series of dreams come true for the winter sprite, and he'd slept in peaceful contentment for the very first time in three hundred years.

But the dreams that came to him now...

Flashes of warmth on his skin. The light touch of soft fur on his body, gone in an instant. Hearing a heartbeat that was pounding like a war drum. A scent almost like musk, but sweeter, like there were traces of melted chocolate mixed through it. What felt like a memory of the taste of a kiss. He drifted in and out of these feelings, no concept of time between each sensation.

What did it mean?

Something danced at the edge of his subconscious. That instinctive sixth sense that all seasonal spirits had was starting to go off. Someone was here, had found him, but...he didn't sense any danger. Nothing gave him that feeling of malice and hatred like those summer spirits had, or even like Pitch Black. No, this was someone he knew, someone he trusted. What were they doing here?

And then, came pleasure.

A tingling that sang along his nerves, zinged over his skin. A touch soothed over his body, stroked over his chest, neck, stomach, and thighs; so strange and warm and so, so good! He suddenly felt heat and soft fur and rubbing on his most private places, the sensation building and building and building! Warmth and passion and a feeling that was incredibly good was growing inside him. It all came together, suddenly spiked-!

Magic swirled throughout his body, pooling and flaring as he came. The sensation of pleasure, so powerful and sharp, was still hazy, dream bound, still not quite known or understood. All Jack could grasp was that this was the most incredible, fantastic dream he had ever had, and he longed for more dreams like this one.

He was lost for a time in a distracting dream, the surges of good and warm and _incredible _coming and going. Every surge of sensation brought him closer and closer to the surface of his mind. Damn this hibernation! He was all but trapped in sleep until the magic loosened its grip enough for him to temporarily wake up. And then a new dream began, shifted his focus almost awake, but not quite. An involuntary gasp of pleasure drove the frustration from his thoughts. Jack could just barely sense it. There was movement, and pressure, and then something far away that felt a bit like pain, and he started to get scared-

"_My Jack, my beaut of a mate_,-"

What? There was words, but they were muffled. He could almost make them out. Who was-

"-_shhh luv. I won't hurt ya, neva' hurt ya, shhh, shhh_."

Bunny was here? Was that Bunny's voice? _What_? Nothing of what he'd said made it through, except for-

...'_luv_'?

He could feel that distant pain get less distant, but it was still dreaming, still not real! What was going on? Why was Bunny here and what in the world was he doing to Jack that felt so good? Warm and wet and rubbing again, and that weird pain was lessening, and then the pleasure surged again! Whatever this was, Bunny could just keep on doing it! The rocking, almost bouncing motion started again, harder than before. Jack didn't know how long it went on, but a screaming howl was heard and, _something_, began to fill him and positively stole his breath.

It...he could barely describe it. Warm and powerful and old, ancient even; some kind of energy that filled his entire form, building up and holding him from within. It felt like a wave of protective and joyful emotion, like spring and fire with green licking at the edges, like hope and wonder and a dream come true and surging with the sense of memories of eons of time. It felt like...home.

Jack panted, trying to recover his sense of self after his soul was rocked by that energy, his eye lashes beginning to flutter. Another surge of pleasure spiked in him, and a wave of strength suddenly filled him. He was beginning to wake up, finally. Jack got back his body sense, and could tell that he was laying back on his side again, the scent of crushed grass and moss filling his nose along with the smell of sweat, dirt, and some other musky kind of smell that he couldn't identify. The winter spirit couldn't quite move yet, but was slowly getting the ability back.

He could feel strong furred hands on his hips and hot fur against his thighs and back; what the hell was going on? Then there was movement under his legs,and one leg was being lifted up, then pressure at his ass, pushing in-

...oh. Holy. Shit.

_Someone was_-! _There was_-! _In his_-! _How could he_-?!

_Bunny _was...having _sex _with him?

_**'HUH?!' **_The winter spirit was, at this point, literally too shocked to be afraid, and almost too shocked to understand what was happening.

One of Bunny's hands was stroking his cock. Long furred fingers tipped with thick pads on each fingertip and a blunt claw, deftly moved over his most sensitive parts. Jack gasped, his body tensing in shock as the large hand moved, almost gently, stimulating his dick in long pulls. The teen felt Bunny's nose nuzzle into his hair, then lower, his buck teeth setting into the spot between Jack's neck and shoulder, biting firmly but not painfully. _...that, that shouldn't feel so good! _Jack thought in stunned bewilderment.

Bunny was thrusting inside him at the same time as he would stroke down on Jack's cock, the double stimulation making the teen dizzy. Oh MiM, that felt so weird! A thick, long, hard rod was pumping in and out of his ass, and...it was somehow feeling good? He couldn't help his soft moans and sighs as Bunny worked-

_WHOA! What was that?! _He gave a choked gasp as Bunnymund changed his angle and touched some spot inside his body that made Jack feel like lighting had struck. His entire body twitched, trying to drive itself forward or back, he didnt' know. Bunny kept his angle, hitting that spot, that incredible spot, with every stroke in, making Jack see stars behind his eyelids. He couldn't stop the sounds he made as Bunny thrust faster and harder, the pleasure growing beyond anything that his dreams had let him feel. By MiM, he had no idea he could feel such intense pleasure and heat and not spontaneously combust!

His magic was pooling in his belly as he began to move his hips to meet Bunny's, moaning softly with each thrust and push inside him, wanting more and more of it. Fuck, he _needed _it! Then Bunnymund stiffened, cried out, and that hot rush of green magic was flooding Jack as the Pooka shoved his last stroke in hard right at his prostate, and it was so fucking _good_-!

_**'S-SWEET-MOTHER-OF-GOD-ALMIGHTY! **__BY THE BRIGHT MOON, YES! Yes! Holy fucking icecaps on a ski-slope, yes!_' Jack orgasmed in the waking world for the very first time in his afterlife.

Shock makes a person think of interesting things, typically as strange and unconnected as a meth junkie's ramblings. Post orgasmic shock tends to shunt those thoughts in a sexual way, so Jack could perhaps be excused for his post-coital thoughts.

_'...oh. _

_So __**that's **__what an orgasm is._

_...this explains sooooo much._'

* * *

A little known fact about winter spirits: They cannot reproduce. Oh, the parts were all there, and they mostly work how they're supposed to, but winter spirits can never have children, and as such, never really developed to have a sex drive. Thus, they normally don't have sex. While it certainly wasn't taboo, it was just much harder for a winter spirit to get aroused, due to their cold nature. Very little reproduces in winter, from plants to animals to even bacteria. The ice and snow killed life, not procreate it, and winter spirits tended to reflect that in their nature.

That certainly didn't mean that all winter-based spirits were loners and eunuchs. Many of them loved company, had many friends, or even had lovers from time to time. It was just generally acknowledged by the seasonal spirits as a whole that winter spirits were much, much harder to get interested in sex. Sex in general was a hot, wet, messy affair that got things very warm, something winter spirits tend to avoid. Passion nearly always equated with warmth, so winter spirits rarely indulged in sex. They tended to view it more as a benefit for their lover than anything else.

Thus, Jack had never felt pleasure before, not even from his own hand, because nothing had ever aroused him before. Curiosity had certainly driven him to investigate what all the mortals had been doing for hundreds of years that made all those weird faces and noises, but he had never tried it for himself. After all, he couldn't talk to people or be touched by them, and it was almost just as bad with his fellow spirits. Who could he have tried anything with? Who could have ever inspired passion in the young bringer of winter when none had ever so much as looked at him kindly? He had found others attractive, actually quite a few, but no one had ever made him sit up and say, 'You bet your sweet snowflake I'd hit that!'

So while Jack had read up on the subject of sex, (three hundred years was a long time with no one to talk to, so he had turned to books to be his teachers and found he loved the pastime), he'd had absolutely no practical experience in it. He had no understanding of why crazy teens and adults were so obsessed with it, or why they did the things they did just for the chance of having sex. And sex led to mothers having children, (a process he'd only witnessed twice and never wanted to witness ever again), something he'd always wondered why women let men do to them if birth hurt so much.

But he understood now.

Hoo-boy, did he understand now.

* * *

...

I just know someone is going to give me hell for not making this an m-preg fic. I'm not against m-preg! I've read a few that were pretty decent. But I'm a mother of 2. I've _given birth_. Twice. I'm in school to be a nurse and I've had 3 years of medical anatomy and physiology classes. So much of my brain is just positively screaming out why m-preg could not possibly work, even if you play the 'Its Magic!' card, that I just can not write it. Physically can. not. do. it. Please! Do not ask me to change my mind on this, 'kay?

Please review!


	6. A Bath with the March Hare

220 reviews?! Great. Googly. Moogly.

You people are so awesome! And so supportive, too, lol! Thanks for all your kind words.

I know I promised more smut, but dammit! Jack completely ran off with this one. Hopefully, I'll get it back next chapter. And please remember, folks, chapters 4, 5, and now 6 all take place in the same day. Its going to be a bit before Bunny gets back in his right mind...

Enjoy.

Chapter 6

Bunny slowly pulled out of his mate, panting quietly as he nipped and kissed softly at Jack's nape. He wrapped both arms around the teen, pulling him close and churring quietly. A stir of motion from the boy made the Pooka stiffen, and then flinch as Jack slowly turned in his arms to lock stunned glacier blue eyes onto his own. Beautiful as his mate's eyes were, Bunny was absolutely terrified by what open eyes meant.

"Bunny? Wha...why? How? Well, I mean, I know how, theoretically, I never thought I was ever gonna use this kind of info," Jack babbled out, trying to make sense of everything. "But, but why did you..._why_?"

Ears flat against his head, hands shaking and voice quivering, Aster begged. "Please don't leave me."

Jack blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Please don' leave me," Aster begged in fear, his voice breaking in a sob as he clutched his mate tighter. "Please don' leave me, please don' leave me, please don' leave me!"

Jack jerked back in shock, never expecting to see the Guardian so out of control. "Bunny, what are you-"

_"Please don' leave me! _I'll be a good mate to you, _I promise_! I'll protect ya n' love ya n' neva get mad at ya again, just please, please don' leave me!" Bunny sobbed, something close to madness in his eyes that scared Jack more than anything that had happened before. He tucked his head under Jack's chin in a sign of submission as tears streaked down his cheeks. "I'll do anythin' ya want! Please don' leave like everyone else, don' leave me again, please, please, _please _don' leave me, please..."

There was so much wrong with all of that, Jack didn't even know where to start. "Bunnymund, what...what the hell is wrong with you"-He glanced down, getting a good look at him for the first time. He gaped in shock even as the Pooka kept up his panicked mantra of 'please don' leave me', realizing that the older male was literally shivering in fear.

Bunny looked awful.

His grey-blue fur was matted, dirty, sticky, and thin streaks of blood colored his shoulders, arms, face, and chest. All four paws were stained with mud and...other fluids. He'd obviously lost fur and even some body weight, and on a muscled form like Bunny's, he didn't have that kind of weight to loose and still be healthy. He was too hot, even through his fur, like he was raging in fever. His hands shook, long ears bent and limp, his voice was scratchy, and his eyes... Jack could barely look at his eyes. Spring green and wisdom and fire normally filled those eyes, but now they were filled with pain, panic, and something desperate and aching. Deep black rings under his eyes was the proof that he obviously hadn't slept in weeks.

"What happened to you?" Jack breathed in horror as his hands hesitantly traced over the Pooka's shoulders and arms. Was there some kind of psychic attack from Pitch? Some kind of spell or disease that had got ahold of him? What could have possibly done this to the strong Guardian of Hope?

"N-Needed you, wanted you, couldn't have ya, kept loosing ya," Aster rambled, moving down and trying to burrow into Jack's stomach, arms still latched tight around the teen. "Ya just vanished, n' kept disappearin' when I needed ya, then you were asleep n' didn't disappear, n' now you're awake n' you're gonna disappear, n' oh Bright Moon, please don' leave me!"

_...yeah-huh, because __**that **__made a whole lot of sense. He's either snorted way over his limit of crack, or something is very, seriously wrong here. _Jack couldn't help his bewildered look, no matter how concerned he was getting. Something had clearly driven the Pooka right past the deep end and head-first into the Marianas Trench. He needed to get Bunny calmed down, cleaned up, and preferably some sleep and/or food, then pray that somehow he could get a message to the other Guardians to come help; all of that, he'd have to manage before hibernation claimed him again. He'd only been asleep for, (he mentally checked his magic reserves and found them rather low), about a month, he'd say. He needed at least another five months of sleep to restore his powers. The winter spirit would run out of energy fairly quickly, so he needed to get Bunnymund taken care of and then back to his sleep as soon as possible.

_Well, when in doubt, do what the crazy kangaroo says_, Jack thought to himself. He began to very gently pet the long ears that he had secretly wanted to touch ever since he'd laid eyes on the Pooka. (Because seriously, who didn't want to pet the Easter Bunny's ears?) The move soothed Bunny somewhat, and that weird cross between purring and growling started up again. He loosened his death-grip on Jack's waist, and the winter spirit took advantage of that to slowly start to get up, wincing at the dull ache in his hips and butt. When the Pooka whimpered, tightening his arms, Jack quietly crooned to him. "Hey, hey, its okay, I'm not leaving you. I'm not, I promise, but I don't think either one of us smells very good right now, do we? Lets go get a bath now, okay Kangaroo? I won't leave, its a pinky-promise big guy, but you have to let me up, ok? I'm not gonna leave you. See?"

Bunny shook harder, but let him stand, getting up with him and still keeping up the full-body grip. Jack looked around for his clothes. Well, the hoodie was a mud and ..._fluid _covered mess, so that was a no-go. Now what had the Pooka gone and done with his pants? On spotting the brown canvas pants hanging onto a bush some feet away, his jaw dropped. "Whuh - _Kangaroo_! Seriously?! You bit my pants off?! Not cool, man!"

Actually, now that he thought about it, Jack didn't know whether to be creeped out, upset, or almost sorta-kinda turned on at how kinky Bunny had to have been to bite his pants off. Was being kinky a good thing? He'd never read that far into his books without blushing so hard that the frost had almost exploded off him, so he didn't really know much about kink. Well, he'd save that pondering for later: right now, they had more important things to do. Like bathe. And possibly find Bunny something to eat, because it was getting rather worrisome how bad off he was starting to look.

As they walked toward the clear fountain of cool water off to the far side of the Warren, Bunny was actually staggering. He was panting harshly, his eyes unfocused and glassy, and could no longer walk in a straight line. Jack was actually having to support his friend's weight when he tripped, which was shockingly often, a very bad sign in the normally graceful Pooka. Just how long had the poor guy gone without food or sleep? It wouldn't kill him, after all, he was immortal, but it would still do very bad things to him if it wasn't corrected soon.

They made it to the spring, the clear water pooling about three feet deep and ten feet around in a natural basin that Bunnymund had lined with round stones and moss when he'd first found it. The winter spirit immediately knelt down and scooped up handfuls of water that was beautifully cold to Jack's dry throat. Bunny, still not letting go of his mate, was caught off-balance by the move and nearly fell into the water as Jack bent to drink. So Jack, being the helpful guy he was, promptly slipped his knee at Bunny's side and tripped the Pooka into the water.

Bunny came back up, sputtering and coughing as Jack chuckled. The older male glared at his mate, but Jack just smiled. "Trust me, Bun-Bun, you need that bath way more than me. But hey, since I'm naked too," he muttered, slipping into the water with a sigh, "might as well take advantage of it."

Ahhhh. Bliss. Cold crisp water felt so good on his skin, (and on the more tender parts of his anatomy right then). The water was so clean and pure that Jack could clearly see to the white sand at the bottom, and reached down to scoop some into his hand. He used the sand as a cleaner, rubbing it into the mud and grass stains that he could reach. The sand scrubbed the dirt and grime off, and rinsed cleanly away. Jack even rubbed some into his hair, not even wanting to guess what might have worked into the white locks before rinsing it clean. He glanced over at Bunny, who was still staring at him, (probably in the hopes that he wouldn't disappear), and motioned for him to get moving. "That fur isn't gonna clean itself, Kangaroo."

A small, unsure voice asked, "...you're not gonna leave?"

Jack blinked, but answered kindly, "No, Bunny, I'm not gonna leave."

"...'kay then." The Pooka dove under the water, hands and paws working quickly to scoop up the sand and start scrubbing at his fur. The water grew cloudy as mud, sweat, and grime all came off the fur, and Bunny emerged looking much better. He came over to the bank and out of the water, and got on all fours. Jack immediately ducked, but wasn't fast enough to not get sprayed as Bunnymund gave an almightly shake, water being flung out of his fur. The flint colored fur stuck out at odd angles, making Jack chuckle, but now that it was clean, Bunny looked much improved. Exhausted, but much improved.

Jack slowly stood up, Bunny moving to get up as well, but stopped when Jack motioned him not to. "You should stay here while I get you something to eat."

"You promised!" Bunnymund said in a panic, green eyes huge and hurt.

"Hey, hey, hey! I'm not leaving you, I'm going to get you something to eat," Jack said reassuringly. "How long has it been since you ate?"

Bunnymund had a rather blank look on his face as he answered, "...I...I can't remember."

"Wha- aren't you hungry?" A long, loud, fairly menacing growl suddenly rang through the clearing, and both Guardians sent a surprised and slightly disturbed look to the Pooka's stomach. "Well, I guess that answers that question."

"Food. Yeah. I should pro'ly get on tha'," the older male said dazedly, moving again to get up and loosing his balance, collapsing onto the grass. Bunny still wasn't in a clear enough state of ming right then to figure out that his body was too low on energy to support him. He had the most bewildered look on his face as he looked down at his feet, as if asking himself why they weren't working. Green eyes were fighting to stay open against painful fatigue that was slowly but surely pulling him down to sleep.

"No, Bunny. You need to stay here and rest. You're in no shape to be going anywhere. I know the way to your den, I can pick up some supplies there, okay? I'll come right back, I promise," Jack said firmly. The Pooka nodded, blinking slowly, then resting his head on the ground. Jack didn't make it two steps before the sudden sound of a chainsaw revving made him nearly jump out of his skin to stare at the Guardian that was snoring loud enough to drown out jet engines.

Jack laughed. Hard. "H-holy crap, this is such awesome blackmail! I have to get Jamie's cell phone and record this!" He walked over the soft grass and flowers, heading for Bunny's den. The spirit was talking to himself as he went, unable to break 300 years of habit. (300 years of social isolation tended to make you talk to yourself, a _lot_.) "Haha, this would actually make a good ringtone for Bunny. If I had a cell phone. Ok, I need a cell phone for Christmas. And Bunny too. Bet he'd be great at Angry Birds considering that's what he looks like all the time. But what to get him? An Iphone?" He suddenly snickered. "We'd have to change the logo and make it an Ihop! Haha! Hmm. Would that be copyright infringement on the International House of Pancakes? Might get in trouble for that. Mental note: ask North if we can do this.

"You know what? I just totally realized what's happening to me right now. I'm going into shock!" he found himself saying with a touch of hysteria. "Psychologic trauma, oooh, its an old friend now, what with all the times I thought I was delusional for hearing the fucking moon talk once and never since, and now, ohoho, now, I lost my virginity to the March Hare. _Holy shit! I just lost my V-card to the fucking **Easter Bunny**_**!"**

"Well, now you're just bragging."

Jack stilled, his feet raising slight puffs of dust on the dirty trail he was following. The long sweet grass blew in a surprisingly warm breeze, the air growing hotter the longer he stood there. A fissure of heat jerked up his spine, dry and red and hot weaving like invisible tendrils over the softer spring magic in the Warren. Jack knew this magic. _Oh no. Not here. How did they find me? Screw that, how the hell did they get in?!_

"The stories go that Pookas are built like elephants in the cock department. Is it true?" a different voice asked.

"We can always find out later," the first voice said dismissively. "After all, we should be congratulating the popsicle," it went on mockingly. "Now he can die happy knowing that he won't go a virgin."

Jack had never, not even when facing Pitch in Antarctica, ever wanted his staff in his hands so badly as he did right then. He cautiously looked around, frustrated that while he could see the magic of the intruders, he couldn't see them yet. He didn't have the power to fight them, hell, he would be lucky if he could run at this point. All he had left was his mouth.

So by MiM, he'd use it. "Big Momma's not gonna be happy with you two. Aren't you guys already in deep shit as it is? I don't think invading the Guardian of Hope's home is going to win you any points with her."

A small whirlwind of hot air formed behind Jack, and he spun to face it. A male adult, his eyes and long hair black as coal, his skin tanned but sallow, stood before him. He wore a simple white tunic that was stained with dirt, a once beautifully embroided red and gold sash at his waist, and tattered pants with very dusty sandals. Dozens of bent and tarnished golden bangles covered his arms, wrists, and ankles. "Oh, are you really going to play the 'Guardian' card? What have we to fear from them? Are they going to sick a moon beam on us?" he laughed cruelly. "Besides, our work might not be popular, but she'll thank us, you'll see. And what she doesn't know can't hurt us," he said, his voice rasping and dry.

"Djinn," Jack growled.

Another whirlwind formed to the side of Jack, and another male appeared. Tall, almost emaciated thin, with dry, cracked, dark brown skin on a mostly human body, with the head of a black furred vulpine-beast with short curved black horns rising from his forehead. A moth-eaten kilt of white linen was all the clothing he wore, while damaged leather bracers were wrapped around his forearms and shins, his feet bare. A once lavish necklace, now clearly missing gems, hung around his neck. "And if she never finds your body, the Mother cannot blame us for your 'disappearance'," he said with a hiss.

"And Sutekh," Jack spat. He kept a good show of anger on the outside, but inside, he was starting to panic a little.

The desert summer spirits, the killers of their own kind, had found him.

* * *

Bonus points and a shout-out to anyone that can figure out where I got the spirits' names from!

Lol. I hope to have made you wince, cry, chuckle, and panic with this chapter. Please let me know if it worked and review!


	7. Dance with a Dervish

300 reviews? 3-300...*faints* Oh my sweet god. You guys are so amazing!

Plots are revealed, a battle is fought, a daring rescue takes place! ...and gore. Bunny totally shocked me with that.

Enjoy.

Chapter 7

The older spirits grinned in anticipation. Djinn began to slowly circle the boy. "I've never seen a winter spirit up and about before we even arrived. Did something happen to get you up? A warning? A dream?"

"Or maybe that little romp with your own personal Guardian?" Sutekh said with a sharp, toothy smile.

"Little ro- you bastards, it was you?!" Jack hissed, fingers clenching into fists. "You're the reason he's like this?!" Older spirits knew incredible amounts of magic. It certainly wouldn't be beyond their power to have poisoned Bunny's mind.

Sutekh grinned, under the mistaken belief that Jack meant Bunnymund was coming around to their way of thinking. "I'll admit, the Guardian of Hope never struck me as the type to be so enthusiastic in his pursuit of winter spirits. Who knew that he'd actually fuck you?

"Or that you're apparently a good enough lay to exhaust him enough to let you go," Djinn said thoughtfully. He gave Jack's naked body a perverse look, making the winter spirit subconsciously shiver in revulsion. "It'd be a shame to not find out if that's true before we snuff him out, right Sut?"

"Oh, I agree," Sutekh nodded, his black horns bobbing up and down as he licked his lips.

Jack knew exactly what they were talking about doing to him, knew that he didn't have enough magic to freeze them, and knew he only had one shot at making it to a defensive position. He had to get some kind of weapon, draw them away from Bunny, and get a message out for help. This has just officially bumped its way to my top three worst days ever. "You camel-humpers do know that you're not going to get away with this, right? You killed Salliere*-"

"Tore his limbs off, actually," Djinn corrected, darkness flashing in his eyes. "Its not our fault he bled out before he could finish hibernating and get enough magic to heal."

Jack glared, his teeth clenched, his body making small, slow movements to get the two used to him moving. "And you really pissed Her off. Seraphina** says that when she catches you, she's going to unmake you."

Both spirits paused at that. "What?" Djinn snapped.

"You dare use Her name, you little ice prick?!" Sutekh screamed.

"Oh? You didn't know? Well, aren't you guys behind the times. Mother Nature said that when she catches you, she'd going to unmake you," Jack said in vindictive glee, slowly backing down the trail to not draw their attention to where he was trying to go. "You know what that means, right? She'll dissolve your magic, break you back down to your original forms, and then let Time take you. After all, you're both what, six? Ten thousand years old?" His white teeth were bared in a grim smile. "You'll dissolve into dust the moment your magic leaves you. And knowing how mad She is? Its not going to be a quick process."

"You lie! The Mother wouldn't do that to us!" Sutekh screamed in denial.

"She'll see that the world is better off without winter, She'll understand!" Djinn growled. "The world doesn't need ice and snow, it needs heat, warmth to make life! It needs summer all year round, and we will be sure we bring it forever!"

Jack blinked at his words, then sneered in disgust. "You bunch of fucking hypocrites, you aren't doing this to make Her happy or whatever little delusion you're spouting off to everyone. You're doing this to get more power! More summer, more heat, more believers, equals more power for you. Its not going to work, you morons! Don't you watch A&E? Discovery Channel? The Science Channel? Any tv at all? No?" He shook his head at them as he kept up his slow, silent walk. "Proof that you're morons."

Djinn sent him a flat look. "I fail to see how paying any attention to a mortal device known as 'the idiot box' is going to be of any interest to us."

"Well, if you had paid attention, you would know what a bad idea it is to not have winter," Jack snapped. "You guys do know that the world has something called the northern and southern ice caps, right? Gigantic, humongous blocks of ice; several million metric tons of frozen water. Sound familiar?"

"Your work, no doubt," Djinn hissed. One could excuse his ignorance. He lived in the deepest, most isolated parts of the desert, with nearly no people in it. His exposure to the modern world was very recent and very restricted. He'd only twice ever seen a map of globe. Sutekh wasn't much better off, being confined to his few temples in the hottest parts of the desert around Egypt.

"Me?" Jack laughed. "Oh hell, no. Those have been there ever since the world began. Smaller, bigger, it depends on a little something called the weather. More heat means more ice melts. More ice melts means lots more water in the oceans. And rivers. And lakes. And streams, brooks, creeks, fjords, deltas, ponds...well, you get the idea." Jack kept moving, kept talking. The more he distracted them with his words, the closer he could get to Bunnymund's den without their noticing what he was actually doing. "More water means flooding. Drowning. Have you ever heard about what happens during a flood? The land is _covered _by water. Especially land barely above sea level. Like your deserts. The mortals predict, and the Mother agrees, that if all the ice in the north and south poles melt, there would be only one place on Earth left above water. Mount Everest. Your deserts would be drowned under the oceans, you idiots!"

"No," Sutekh said in confusion. "That cannot be. That is not what he told us-"

"So your little scheme to heat up the world and get more power, yeah, its gonna fail. Epically. And kill almost all life on Earth. Congratulations, you fucking morons," Jack spat. He could not stop his flinch when a small twig snapped under his foot, distracting the older spirits from his words.

Djinn jerked to a stop at the sound, looking down at his feet in something like confusion before glaring at Jack. "You frozen bastard! You're trying to trick us! Sutekh, look! He's been leading us somewhere."

Sutekh looked startled for a moment as he glanced at their surroundings, and then said, "But where has the winter spirit gone?"

Jack was already running.

"Son of a cowardly jackal! There he goes! Don't let him escape us!" Djinn shouted, pulling several glass daggers from his sash.

Jack dodged a glass dagger thrown at him from Djinn as he ran through the grass and flowers. Three more daggers stabbed the ground where his feet had just been. Sutekh roared as he gave chase, sending his magic out to do his bidding. Dark red sand pulled off his clothing and skin and gusted forward, trying to obscure the younger male's vision, but Jack kept running. The only reason that he hadn't been captured yet was that he knew the layout of the Warren enough to know where to run. It was only a few hundred feet to Bunny's den! He was going to make it!

Sutekh and Djinn weren't very powerful, especially outside of their deserts. They were very old spirits; the civilizations and peoples that had worshiped them as gods and powerful beings had long since discounted them as stories and myths. Many of those peoples and cultures didn't exist anymore. They had almost no believers left. They were used to ambushing defenseless spirits, not facing off against a fully awake being. If Jack had been at full power, he could easily have not only escaped them, but defeated them in under a minute.

But Jack Frost was not at full power. Not even having his staff would have helped him now.

The spirit's legs were growing so tired. He grew dizzy, the energy drain too great. He stumbled, tripped over his own feet, and fell to the mossy ground, painfully rolling to a stop. Jack panted, desperate to get back up, struggling to make his arms push himself off the ground. The den was right there! Just a few more feet and he would be at-

-Bunnymund's den with the smashed-in door, the ripped vines and crippled roots that covered the windows, no protection or shelter to help him now-

"No!" Jack cried in denial. Hearing the pounding footsteps coming upon him, he grit his teeth and dug his fingers into the ground. _Shit! I am not some fucking helpless damsel! If I'm going down, I'm gonna go fighting!_

Djinn came running toward him with a shout. "Ha! We knew you couldn't run for long, little icicle!" He lunged forward to attack, daggers at the ready, then reared back in pain when Jack managed to twist around enough and threw a clod of dirt into his face. "My eyes!"

Sutekh roared as he came down the path, a terrifying sight with his eyes shining red in rage, claws extended from his fingers. Jack desperately reached into himself, searching for something, any tiny drop of magic that could defend him, he didn't care what it could do, just anything!

And he found the smallest bit of green. Without thinking, he thrust it toward the charging Egyptian god-spirit. It sank into the earth, Jack's heart sinking with it-

Thin roots erupted from the ground, snatching Sutekh's ankles. The male crashed to the ground, tumbling headfirst into a fallen log with a crack of sound. The log split from the impact, and Sutekh lay still, one of his black horns broken off onto the dirt.

Jack's jaw was almost touching the ground from shock. _That wasn't ice. That wasn't my magic. It couldn't have been! I- I- I can't do anything like that! I thought only Bunny had magic like that_-

"You!" Djinn pounced onto Jack, the young male screaming at the pain from the impact. The older spirit pressed his weight into the boy, cruelly pinning his arms down with his knees. A long, jagged glass dagger was in both hands, raised up to strike. His face was bare inches from Jack's as he hissed, "I'm going to enjoy every minute of carving your arms off!"

* * *

Next to the spring, Aster stirred. Green magic had gone off, like a firework in the night. Green magic tinted with ice. Exhaustion pulled at his consciousness, trying to drag him down into sleep. Who had worked magic? His bleary eyes opened, cleared, and narrowed as he sniffed the air. Other dominates were in his Warren. Other dominates were near his Jack. A paw kicked the ground, and he vanished from sight.

* * *

_Oh shit. I think this is the end. Fuck! I don't wanna die like this! _Jack kept his voice clear, refusing to let anything but anger show. "She's going to catch you. And punish you. And even if She doesn't, the Guardians will."

Djinn just smiled. "That's funny, that's just what your little snow friend said right before we killed him." Just as the glass daggers came down, Jack seemingly disappeared from under Djinn. The angry spirit fell to the ground, groping and stabbing at the grass when he found it wasn't some kind of invisability trick. "Where are you, you little coward?! You would defy us?! I'll kill you! You worthless little imp!"

* * *

Darkness closed in around him like being buried alive. Jack shouted in fear as a hand clamped over his mouth, strong arms pulling him further down into the earth in the blink of an eye. A soft churr made him go still as he registered the warm body that cradled him from behind. Bunny had him in a gentle hold, cradled inside a new tunnel under where he'd been attacked. Jack felt his body getting weaker, and managed to gasp out, "Back...back to the...place you found me...have to connect- to the earth...in the same...place..."

A reassuring nuzzle was his only answer as Bunny leapt with all his speed to send his mate to safety. Bunny caught the scents coming from Jack's skin; pain, fear, and two other males that had come near him, one that had actually touched him. Something was going to die to day. He gently carried Jack back to his place under the bushes and set the staff at his side. Jack clutched the wooden stick close to him as he looked up to Bunnymund. The Pooka gave a quick look to the few bruises and scrapes Jack had, nuzzling him softly. A stamp of his foot made the earth tremble a bit, and thick, thorny vines began to surround the bushes that hid Jack. The ice spirit gave a shaky smile for him. Aster nodded, then vanished down a tunnel.

* * *

Djinn was in a truly foul mood. The ice sprite had escaped them, Sutekh was still unconscious, and there was no sign of the Easter Rabbit anywhere. There was a sudden soft 'whump' of sound behind him, and before Djinn could turn, his hair was seized in an iron grip and blunt claws applied with incredible force tore through his neck. His head slid off his shoulders, rolling into the grass as blood fountained out over the trail. The body collapsed, arms twitching as lifeless fingers let go of the glass daggers. The desert spirit died without ever knowing what hit him.

Bunny growled, baring his long teeth in anger at the dead spirit that had dared stepped foot in his territory. That had dared commit the unforgivable sin of coming near his mate!

A stirring by the log drew the Pooka's attention to where Sutekh was beginning to wake. Bunnymund stalked over, grabbing the desert spirit by his remaining horn and dragging him to the nearest tunnel. The beast-man startled awake, protesting the indignity of each step, before getting a look at the remains of Djinn. He went silent, eyes wide in horror and shock. "You...you killed Djinn. She will kill you for this."

Bunnymund didn't say a word, but gripped the horn tighter, nearly ripping it out. The spirit howled in pain, desperately trying to escape the enraged Pooka's grip. Aster dragged Sutekh to one of his main tunnels, throwing him down to the ground hard enough that a snap of bone breaking could be heard. Sutekh wailed in pain. Bunnymund bared his teeth in a snarl, stomped his foot twice, and Sutekh was sent tumbling down another tunnel. The Guardian immediately headed back to keep watch over his mate.

* * *

The desert spirit was ejected from the earth out into a raging snowstorm, deep in the heart of Siberia. A few moments later, Djinn's body and head landed beside him.

The Egyptian spirit just stared in horror at the sight of his friend in pieces.

A few minutes later, a shadow appeared in front of him. "One simple job," a dark, familiar voice said over the howling wind. The Nightmare King shook his head in exasperation. "One simple job, was all you had to do. Kill every winter spirit you found. Really, is that so hard? This time of year, they're all asleep. Innocent as babes and just as weak. They can't fight. They can't run. Most won't even have the energy to scream as they die. And yet here you are," Pitch said with his trademark sneer. "One dead, the other crippled by idiocy. Which little spirit got in a no doubt 'lucky shot'?"

"J-Jack F-F-Frost.

"Frost? I thought I told you to bring him to me when you found him, Pitch snarled.

"H-he was s-s-supposed to be h-helpless," Sutekh said over chattering teeth. "S-sleeping and help-pless. W-was awak-ke. H-He ran. T-t-tricked us. The P-Pooka"-

Yellow eyes narrowed. "The Pooka? That over-grown rodent? What was he doing in Jack's hibernation lair? Hmph. Standing as faithful guard, no doubt."

"N-not the P-Pole. W-Warren. They were in th-the Warren."

Pitch looked thoughtful. "Well. This changes things a bit. No matter. I'll still have him sooner or later. After all, there's always next year." He grinned, sharp teeth shining at the thought. The dark spirit spared a disgusted glance to the freezing desert spirit. "A year you won't be seeing. You've far outlived any usefulness."

"Y-y-you...you lied t-to us," Sutekh said in slow horror. "To us a-all."

Pitch was already dissolving into shadows as he laughed. "Of course."

Sutekh, a spirit of deserts and blazing heat, froze to death of the sub-zero temperatures in a little less than 15 minutes.

* * *

*...Salliere is the name of the poor winter spirit that the desert spirits killed last year.

**...Seraphina; ok, went a little book-verse here. Seraphina is the name of Kosmotis Pitchiner's (Pitch Black, before he was turned into the Nightmare King by the Fearlings) daughter. The Man in the Moon made her into Mother Nature.

...the last bit of smut for a while is in the next chapter, I swear by the holy chocolate! And hey, for those that took the time to answer my little quiz of where I got the summer spirits' names, see below!

RESULTS: Ok, for those that looked it up and sent in an answer, here's the correct ones. Djinn is the Arabic name for what we refer to as genie; they are desert spirits that are capable of granting wishes if you pass their test or capture them. For those that said 'Wishmaster', you're partly right. Djinn are _not_ happy-go-lucky nice guys that just want to have fun. Djinn were notorious tricksters that often had deadly results when they interacted with people.

Sutekh is one of the many names of the Egyptian god Set. Set is the one that killed Osiris and is often the great villian in many Egyptian legends. I confess, I have not yet seen the episode of Doctor Who that a few people sited, but it cetainly sounds interesting, so I'll have to look into it.

Shout-outs go to!

Puckoberon, landofmusic, SouzouWriter, Angiepanda1, Tat, The Wiccan Warrior, Kira Kirin, thunder-phoenix, HeidiFox, Momma Lici, shadow halfbreed, Lady of the Shards, Ginger Guardian Angel, RueRajaram, SRG-the-Antro-Bison.

You guys worked it out and many kudos for you!

Thanks for reading and reviewing, everyone, you guys are just wonderful!


	8. Close Your Eyes

*curls into a ball and cries* Finals! Holy shite, I hate finals with a fiery, intense passion like the 10th circle of Hell! Physics, Biology (cumulative), Earth Science, World Geography (cumulative), I've been studying for 36 hours!

...sweet Jesus, I can't wait to get some sleep...

Thank you all for being so amazing and kind, in your reviews and just by reading this.

Chapter 8

Aster raced back to where he had left his mate, pausing only long enough to wash the dead spirit's blood from his hands and fur. The blood would surely upset Jack if he saw it. And he wanted no more distress for his tired mate. He came upon the edge of the thicket and tapped his paw. The ground opened up and let him back into the bushes, where his Jack lay.

The winter spirit was panting softly, his naked body flushed the palest shade of pink with tension, his fingers still clenched around the wooden staff. He was curled into a ball on his side, only looking up when Aster came in. His blue eyes were worried and strained, his body shivering in unspent adrenaline. "Are y-you alright?"

The Pooka found a small smile at his mate's concern. "Not a scratch."

Jack gave a shaky smile in return, then frowned. "Did...did you get rid of them?"

Bunny nodded. "Gone now. Threw 'em out. No one near us now." He laid his hands down onto the ground and sending out a trace of his magic. New soft moss and fresh baby grass grew quickly around Jack and filled the little clearing, making the male gasp softly as the gouged mud and dirt was covered. The Pooka lifted his tired mate up and gently set him down on the new growth for a good soft bed.

"G-good. That's good," the teen said. Jack's shaking slowed, but fine tremors seemed to rack his body. He managed to unclench his fingers from around the staff and closed his eyes, trying to calm down enough to not look like some pathetic wimp in front of the older Guardian.

Aster frowned at seeing the scrapes, bruises, and dirt that marred his mate's skin. But Jack was so anxious that he might very well hurt himself trying to lash out in reflex. Very slowly, he moved to kneel at Jack's feet and with gentle paws he lifted up one pale foot. Green eyes met surprised glacial blue when the entire leg tensed.

"Bunny? What are you doing?" Jack said in a bit of alarm. _He isn't going to start with the...touching...thing...is he? Is he going to...what should I...holy fuck, I'm done. I can't...I don't want...don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it_...

The Pooka responded by very slowly using his fingers and rubbing the tight muscles in the arch of Jack's foot.

Jack's eyes widened in surprise, then exhaled noisily at how good it felt. No one, not nobody, had ever touched Jack's feet before. He'd heard of foot rubs and how much people liked them but wow! "O-okay. You can just-you have-ohhh, sweet MiM-the rest of eternity to stop that..."

The older male rubbed the tough pads of his fingers into the arch and ball of his foot, making the winter spirit moan softly. A wet sensation above his foot made Jack tense again, eyes flying open as he looked up. Aster was completely focused on the teen's ankle, where a short bloody scrape was being licked clean.

Jack Frost lived up to his name and a bloom of icy frost blushed over his cheeks. "Tha-be- Bunny, I don't think that's sanitary- ohhhhh..." Jack's eyes rolled up in his head, all thoughts of protest dying instantly. His entire body went limp and compliant, relaxing every muscle.

That incredible, deep feeling of green magic was flowing up from his foot and along all the nerves of his body. Every thought left Jack's mind, the stress of the day disappearing. This didn't feel like it had before. There was none of the fire that had felt like lightning in his veins this time. This was like...a soft blanket, his favorite drink, the rush of a lucky break, and tasting of dark chocolate caramel brownies all in one second. In a distant part of his brain, Jack knew that Bunnymund was working magic on him, but he just couldn't bring himself to care as the rest of his brain went into mild sensory overload. The ache of his muscles dissolved away, the shaking completely left him as the adrenaline was flushed from his system, and all those bruises and abrasions were healing at a shocking rate. A deeply peaceful feeling began filling him; the green magic was seeping into every inch of him, and Jack loved every minute of it.

He didn't even feel concerned when that licking started to go higher...

* * *

Aster quietly churred to soothe his mate as he instinctively channeled his power into the spirit, using his hands and tongue to carefully push his most basic healing ability into the skin and muscles. His mate deserved nothing but the best from him now. Jack had fought well, shockingly well for a spirit in hibernation. Any other spirit would have been still asleep or too weak to even stand after so little time renewing their powers. But Jack had not only rose up to take care of Bunny, but had evaded capture long enough for Bunny to get to him. This proved that he was right to choose such a strong, compassionate spirit. Aster was so proud of his powerful mate.*

He worked his tongue over each fading mark and abrasion on that pale skin, from Jack's feet and legs to his hands and arms, cleaning and healing with every touch. He was deliberately ignoring the resting cock and testes as his concern was solely on his mate's health, despite how much he wanted to renew his mating claim right then. The Pooka had to stop a growl at the sight of a healing scrape on his mate's cheek. More magic pooled and flowed from the Guardian of Hope to the young Guardian of Fun, giving Jack a heady rush.

Suddenly, he felt Jack's cock stir. His leg had been rubbing against it as he'd cleaned his mate's skin, and it seemed to have brought some desire out. If it was what his mate wanted, how could he deny him? Aster smiled and began licking down the pale, leanly muscled chest. Down a faint trail of fine white hairs below his navel. And to the light pink flesh that was rapidly coming to life as he began to lick.

A shaking hand on one of his ears made him pause. "B-Bunny?" Jack asked, his eyes wide with uncertainty and something that was like fear. Was the Guardian still under the spell of those insane desert spirits? How long would this last? And would this suddenly change to something more violent, like Sutekh had implied? Jack knew he was too weak now to do little more than rest his hand on the Pooka's head. The need to hibernate was pulling him down and he'd be unconscious soon.

Aster easily sensed Jack's emotions through their bond and whimpered. He never wanted his mate to be afraid of him! Aster sent more of his magic into Jack, sending reassurance, affection, and desire through the bond. Jack couldn't fight the surge of magic that felt seductive, calming, and positively addictive all at the same time, subsuming any will he had to deny the older male. All he could do was moan softly as Bunny took his now fully erect dick carefully into his mouth. This time, Jack moaned loudly as the Pooka sucked at his cock, the warm mouth feeling like sin as a wicked tongue rubbed and stroked along his length. Jack felt energy flowing through him, like it was coming from the deepest part of his being, being drawn up for some reason he didn't understand. Long fingers tangled into grey fur, pulling at the base of long ears as the pleasure began to build. Aster's head bobbed as he worked his mouth over his mate's cock, stroking and licking the head and sides with his tongue, growing desperate for-

Jack came with a gasp, a clench of his fingers, arching his back and howling of Aster's name to the sky. Stunning blue eyes were wide with wonder at how his body was reeling, the energy not quite draining from him, but infusing every piece of him.

The Pooka moaned loudly as cum filled his mouth and icy blue and white magic filled his chest. Exactly what he'd needed, been so desperate for. He would be forever addicted to his Jack's taste, scent, feel, magic...every bit and piece of his mate.

The winter spirit moaned softly as Bunny pulled back from his softening cock and began to lick down his sac and to his hole. He knew what Bunny was going for, and honestly could not bring himself to care. He felt too good, too high on Bunny's magic and post-orgasmic mind-fog.** Everything was starting to float away, like the best parts of that dream that you always tried to get back to...

Bunny churred softly, nuzzling at Jack's neck to soothe him. He could tell from the bond that Jack didn't feel scared anymore. He felt good and happy and calm, just how Bunny wanted him to feel. Pulling back to look at his pale mate again, the Pooka frowned as he noticed a small brown bruise on the back of Jack's neck. There were more wounds on Jack's back, and Aster was determined to get to them. Jack, still very relaxed, easily complied with Bunny's hands that urged the boy to turn over onto his stomach. The Pooka cleaned and licked all the bruises he found, leaning forward on both arms to reach and begin to groom Jack's wild white hair. The spirit shifted underneath him, and his rear brushed against Aster's hips. Bunny stilled for a half second, heat beginning to thrum through him for the last time. Slowly, he moved his licking down from Jack's hair to the nape of his neck and shifted to lightly nipping.

Jack would forever blame the exotic feel of hot, silky fur tickling over his sensitive back and thighs for lifting his hips, presumably to manuever away. Instead, he found himself with buck teeth giving him love bites at the most sensitive part of his neck, blunt clawed fingertips sliding down his chest and stomach, and a growing shaft nudging at the back of his thigh. He knew he should tell the Guardian to stop, to get off, but he couldn't feel fear anymore. All he could feel now was heat...

Aster slowly moved his hand to Jack's soft cock, teasing and rubbing it as he gently bit at the spirit's neck, coaxing more and more desire from Jack. Jack could barely hear the Pooka's low groan of want over his own sighs, moans, and whimpers as the talented older male skillfully brought him pleasure again.

"Sweet Jack," Aster churred in his ear, his deep voice sexy and low. "My Jack. I want to mount you, mate." The hand that wasn't full of the boy's now fully erect cock, stroking him off, was moving to the spirit's hips, pulling them up so he was on his knees. Jack lifted up his hips, the rush of Bunny's magic and his touch-starved body more than enough incentive to ignore any part of him that was telling him to stop.

Green magic was washing over every inhibition and fear Jack had, drowning out in a sea of pleasure. Jack was starting to think that this was what it was like getting high...

Bunny teased Jack's cock a bit more, feeling the tension of approaching orgasm building in the boy's body. Pulling back his hands (and ignoring Jack's faint protest at the loss of stimulation) he leaned back, gently pulling Jack's legs apart and sent his own between them, lining up the head of his thick erection to the young male's hole. Furred hands braced Jack's hips. Very slowly, he pushed forward, forcing himself to go slow despite the intoxicating sounds of whimpers and moans of his name from his mate's sexy voice. Sweet fuck, he was still so tight!

When he was fully sheathed inside his mate, Bunny leaned down and braced his arms beside Jack's shoulders, protectively looming over him. This was how it should have been the first time; his mate awake and gasping in pleasure as he was mounted properly. Bunny leaned down, kissing and licking the trembling pale back as he went until he reached Jack's nape, gently biting down. "My Jack," Aster crooned as he began to pull out, and slowly push back in. "My beautiful, powerful Jack."

Slowly at first, pushing deep and pulling back almost all the way only to thrust in deep again as he listened to Jack's whimpers turn to moans. Aster kept his thrusts slow as he looked for his mate's sweet spot. He changed angles until a stuttering gasp of his name from Jack told him he'd found it. He kept his cock firmly pressed to that spot as he leaned down to put his teeth at where Jack's shoulder and neck met. Then his thrusts began to pick up speed, gradually getting faster and harder as he growled and moaned.

Jack's fingers gripped the soft grass beneath them, teeth clenched and eyes shut as pleasure began to build up again. he couldn't control his gasps and cries as each push got harder and deeper, grey-furred hips pounding against his. Bunny was hitting that spot with every push and pull! Magic was pooling in his belly again, the rush of it pulling Jack higher and higher.

Aster pumped his hips harder, every instinct and urge pushing him harder and harder to claim his mate so thoroughly that he would never want another. One arm supported his weight as the other went to Jack's hips, pulling him into each thrust. Jack's moans and shouts were music to his ears as he felt his magic thrumming under his fur, gaining power and energy as he felt his orgasm coming. He reached for Jack's cock and found it hard and dripping pre-cum. He coated his hand with the leaking fluid and gripped the erection, stroking it in time with each thrust of his hips. Jack screamed at the double pleasure, pushing back into each stroke and thrust.

"Almost there, Jackie-boy," Bunny growled, pressure building in his balls and screaming sensation racing through his blood. "Cum for me, Jack, that's it."

Jack seemed to freeze at his words and the Pooka felt the orgasm build and shatter the boy. Jack shuddered then arched back underneath him, raising his face to the sky as he screamed in release. Aster moaned at the feel of his mate's cum shooting over his hand, and braced himself further as he began to truly pound into the body beneath him. His thrusts were hard enough to force Jack flat to the ground, only Bunny's fists dug into the dirt holding them in place. Every muscle grew taut, every nerve focused, every glimmer and spark of magic in his body readying for one final mating as his heat died.

The pleasure crested. Aster found Jack's neck with his teeth and bit, screaming Jack's name around the pale flesh in his mouth. Pleasure overflowed, crashing down, and magic filled Jack, green fire and promises and hands that held his filling his head.

Jack shuddered over and over before his tired body finally stilled, riding the high of Aster's powerful magic as he slid slowly back into his hibernation. The earth's magic merged with his, renewing his flow of power and, unknown to Jack or Aster, granting even greater reserves that now served both his magic and his mate's. He would sleep without dreams this season.

The Pooka collapsed, fully spent for the first time in three weeks. He panted, trying to catch his breath as exhaustion caught him in its grip and pulled hard, instantly consuming him in sleep. He had just enough strength to roll to his side, pulling Jack with him and spooning protectively around him as he fell into a healing sleep.

His body was drained beyond anything he'd ever known before. The rut was over, and when the Guardian would wake, his heat would be gone.

And all his troubles would begin.

* * *

Pooka, much like any other race, sought nothing less than the best in their mates. Mates had to be emotionally stable, capable, clever, and caring. If they weren't, how could they raise healthy children? How could they teach the children? How could you convince someone to stay and raise a child if they didnt' care enough to try? No, a mate had to be carefully chosen, mainly for their best personality traits.

But it certainly didn't hurt if that particular candidate was an absolute powerhouse of magic or muscle. Bunny had certainly been quite the catch back in the day, as he was considered the best of both worlds. Powerful in strength, an excellent ranger, intelligent, skilled and very gifted with magic, kind, loved children, and rather attractive to boot; he had been very sought after when the rest of his race was alive. He'd been given a huge choice of potential mates, both male and female.

If Jack had been around back then, he would have been chased even more than Aster.

Pooka weren't discriminating when it came to the races and people that they loved. Since Pooka genetic traits were dominant, it really didnt' matter who they mated with, so long as that person/being was of suitable character. Jack, being the kind, clever being that he was, who protected and cared for children like he did, would have definitely been chased for his personality alone.

But the fact that Jack was also incredibly powerful would have instantly shot his desirability right past the roof and straight into the stratosphere. Bunny couldn't have asked for a better choice of mate; by Pooka standards, he had hit the jackpot.

For Jack was, indeed, very powerful. It was generally not talked about with the other seasonal spirits and certainly not with other mystical beings; it wouldn't do to point out their jealousy. Jack was barely over three hundred years old, and in all that time, had only gained six believers, all within the last year. Any other spirit would have faded and died out in the first hundred years of complete unbelief, but not Jack. Despite that gross handicap, he could transform the water in air and around him into ice from the moment of his 'birth.' He could create ice and snow, frost anything as both forms of art and attacks,_ animate ice into moving creatures_, call upon _the North Wind itself _to help him! The Winds obeyed no one! Yet the mightiest of them all followed Jack and listened to him like a helpful little puppy.

No other spirit in the Earth's history had been able to do anything so powerful without some kind of beliver's energy supplementing their own supply. Only those nature spirits _worshiped as gods for years _came even close to what Jack could do from the moment he was 'born'. And his powers had stayed this constant, without a single, solitary believer for hundreds of years. The only reason Jack never bragged about such a thing was that he was completely ignorant of the fact: he had no idea that he was considered the most dangerous winter spirit in existence. And all because no one had ever spoken to him about it. He had no idea how rare and unheard of his power levels were.

Other nature spirits had started to fear him the moment he had become a Guardian. The addition of believers' energy to such a powerful spirit could only make him stronger. As more children believed in Jack Frost, there was no telling how much more power he would gain.

* * *

Pookas bonded by sharing their magical auras through intimate acts like sex or healing between mated couples. It had to be freely given, (even if Jack's case was due to ignorance, it was still given without coercion). Emotions were shared as a piece of their very souls were given to each other. Bonding, true mating, was an act far more intimate than sex could ever be.

But it could be incredibly overwhelming to a non-Pooka. If Bunnymund had been more coherent, he would have remembered this. Pookas knew what bonding was and what it meant. They knew and understood how it was creating a new way of communicating emotions and needs. The bond could be used to send emotions between partners. It could help lessen pain, soothe trauma of mental, emotional, or physical kinds. The bond was meant to help partners support and help each other in every way possible.

To other species, it could almost be likened to mind-control. The emotions sent over a bond could completely override and influence the receiver's own. It took absolute trust and knowledge of the bond to train with their partner to recognize these effects and control their influence. Eventually, with this training, the emotions wouldn't be able to override the other partner anymore.

E. Aster Bunnymund and Jack Frost were the first Pooka-bonded couple in thousands of years. There were no Pooka left to seek advice or counsel from. No spirits or beings were left alive that had been bonded to a Pooka. Bunny and Jack were on their own.

They were in for a bumpy ride.

* * *

...

This is the last bit of Bunny's heat we'll see for a long time. But now comes the hard part of this challenge: The Fallout.

See you again soon! And wish me luck, guys, these tests are gonna be murder...*cries*


	9. The Fallout, Part 1: Disillusioned

You guys are amazing. Your support and encouragement is the only reason I can update as fast as I have been, lol. Thank you so much.

Brace yourselves.

Chapter 9

Bunnymund sat on the floor in the ruins of his den, blank eyes staring at the scattered rushes and fluff of his destroyed nest. A few drops of blood still dripped from a bent frame on the wall that had once held a plain glass mirror, the shards littering the floor. A coil of rope was in his hands, nimble digits absently working knots into the rope over and over. Star of David knot, hangman's noose, slip knot, noose, square knot, noose, sailor's knot, then a hangman's noose again.

It had been three days since he'd woken up beside a naked and marked Jack Frost, and by his nearest estimate, seven days from when he'd...when he had... r-...raped- oh, MiM help him!

The Pooka moved, dropping the rope as he raced over to a waste basket and vomited until he brought up nothing but bile. He dropped the basket back to the floor and collapsed on the ground, curling into a ball. Deep hoarse sobs were wrung from his throat, and blunt claws dug into the fur of his scalp as he hid his face in his hands. By the Moon, he could hardly stand to think it, let alone remember it! He had committed a sin so great that his people, who hadn't believed in the death penalty, would have cheerfully skinned him alive and then strung him up from the highest tree. The Guardians would probably do the same when they found out.

If not for the dire consequences on poor Jack's behalf, E. Aster Bunnymund would have gladly hanged himself, unable to live with the shame of his deeds any longer. He had wanted to the instant he had understood exactly what he had done. But he couldn't. Not now. He had to find a way to make anything, even the smallest part of this, come out right, but Aster had no idea how he could. He had an obligation to his ma- to Jack. _Not my mate. Never my mate. I'm not worthy of a mate; too disgusting, too stupid, too unworthy! I can't go near him! Not like this!_

He had broken every code of honor his race had, that he had ever held sacred. He had harmed an innocent in the worst possible way. How do you make something like this better?

*_Flashback_*

Intense, stomach-cramping hunger had awoken the Easter Bunny nearly four days after his heat had ended. He had whimpered in pain, not understanding what was going on. Why in the bloody hell did his stomach feel like it was trying to eat his spine?! Why was he so hungry? The last thing he remembered was going into heat, but that surely couldn't be why he was so...so...

Aster had frozen into place as his brain had finally taken stock of where he was and what he was doing. He wasn't in his den. He distinctly remembered locking himself into his den. He was outside on a bed of soft grass, in some kind of bushes and what looked like a perimeter of thorns around that. He could hear the faint sound of the paint river not too far away, the softest sound of breathing, and an almost non-existant sound of another heartbeat. The air smelled thick with flowers, mint, and even some kind of musky scent he knew he'd smelled before. He was extremely hungry and still extremely tired despite just waking up from sleep, and-

-and his arms were around a naked, pale-skinned body. Green eyes went huge in shock and dawning horror.

_Please no, please no, please no, please no! Manny, if you ever gave a damn about me, please don't let this be what I think it is._

He slowly pulled himself up on one arm to get a better look, and felt his heart stop.

A very naked Jack Frost was sleeping on his side, his back to Bunny's front. Jack's scent of mint was nearly smothered by Aster's own musk that saturated the air, the grass...Jack's skin. Sweet gods, Jack was covered in Aster's scent. A shaking hand reached slowly forward, and very, very gently pulled Jack's shoulder down to look, and found the mating mark that Bunny's teeth had left on that milky skin.

There was no denying what that mark meant or what had to occur for a mating mark to be made. A mating mark only appeared if it was for a mate, not a lover or fuck-buddy, but a true, life-long mate that had shared their magic. It would never happen other wise. Jack carried Bunny's mating mark on his shoulder, branded like property for the entire magical world to see, and everyone that knew even the bare basics of Pooka culture would know what it meant.

His brain was in a tizzy. So deep was his state of shock that he could barely hold onto any thoughts at all. Aster pulled himself up on trembling limbs as he tried to stand up. He stumbled and fell twice, so dizzy and weak from hunger that he could barely function. It took nearly all his effort to make a tunnel, but he succeeded in making one to his garden. The Pooka had to pull himself out of the ground and crawl to the nearest patch of vegetables. He ate mechanically, forcing himself to take small bites so his stomach wouldn't get upset and sick up everything he tried to put in it. Nearly an hour later, Aster finally felt his body getting better as the food was quickly turned to energy by his extremely efficient metabolism. As he did, his thoughts got clearer and more coherent, and he finally realized exactly what he'd seen in Jack's little glen. And what it meant.

Bunnymund had mentally reeled even has his body collapsed to the ground in shock. How? How had this happened?! Hadn't he locked himself into his den to stop anything like this from happening?! _Fuck, brain, think! When did this happen?! Why?! How could I have gone so out of control? I can't remember. Shit, you would think a guy would remember something like this! But I don't! I don't remember what happened! How could...Jack had...a mate mark? A mating mark?! _Jack would have had to have given up his magic, something he was sure the spirit would never do of his own free will-

-unless the poor boy had still been unconscious, Bunny realized with shocked horror. If Jack had been unconscious, he couldn't have controlled his powers; it could have been possible to trigger a release of magic if the winter spirit hadn't been aware of what was going on. Oh by the Bright Moon...

_...I don't deserve to be a Guardian_, the Pooka thought numbly. _I don't dare trust myself around children anymore. How could i? I betrayed Jack's trust. Why the fuck didn't I call North to come get him while I had the chance?! Jack came to the Warren because he thought he'd be safe, when he was at his weakest and most vulnerable, and how did I reward that trust? By fucking him in his sleep like a damned beast! By r-raping him. I...I commited rape_, and now Bunnymund went milk white pale under his fur, looking like he was about to be very sick as the horror and disgust at his actions truly pulled down on his soul._ On Jack Frost! If anyone had even hinted I would do something like that, I would have punched them in the throat and laughed. I just- I- _

_Oh gods above and below, make it not true! How could I do something like that?! I would never do something like this, never! But now I...and Jack...oh sweet MiM, how the fuck do I explain this to Jack?!_ He racked his brain trying to think of why this happened. Why had Jack's scent triggered desire in him? Why had he gone after Jack at all? Sandy and North had come to his Warren when he'd been in rut before, but he'd never tried to mate with them. Of course, those two were quite the dominates by Pooka...standards...

It finally hit Bunny why he'd gone so wild for Jack. Jack wasn't a dominate. He was still too young, his power and magic too wild and still untamed. Jack was a healthy, young, strong being that his Pooka instincts wouldn't have recognized as a dominant. And with the sheer magic rolling off the boy, and his way with children, he would have been incredibly desirable to other Pooka. _No wonder my instincts went insane_, Aster thought in realization. _After thousands of years, my body must have thought I'd gone nuts to ignore a potential mate right in my own backyard. But that's still no excuse! I should have been able to hold off my instincts. I should have left the Warren and told North to guard him! I should have done anything, __**anything**__, but what I did._

The one saving grace in all of this was that Jack was in his hibernation. As far as Aster knew, once nature-based spirits went into hibernation, nothing short of a major natural disaster would wake them up. Surely the poor kid had slept through the mating! To have shared his magic with Bunny meant that Jack had to have been unconscious; Jack wouldn't have done it otherwise. _Or, _his thoughts went to a dark place, _if the young Guardian had awoke somehow, he could have been so frightened and in pain that he could have released his magic in defense_. No, he hastened to reassure himself. That wouldn't, couldn't have made a mate bond. The bond's magic couldn't come from pain or fear. Jack had to have been asleep.

But the mental image of a terrified Jack begging for Bunny to stop as he was raped over and over in a heat-frenzy was something that would haunt the Pooka's dreams for months.

As soon as Aster could stand and run, he had immediately gone toward Jack's hibernation spot only to stop in confusion and disgust as the thick, coppery scent of blood had filled his nose just outside of his den. He searched the area and found a shocking pattern of blood spatter and dried blood on the trail. What the hell had happened here? Someone had come to the Warren. With this amount of blood, they had to have died from such injury. Sweet MiM, he had killed someone?! What, rape wasn't enough, he had to commit murder too?

But who? The scent held nothing familiar to the Pooka, so his friends were out. This blood smelled of dust and sand. something like glass? A few fragments of a glass dagger were found at the scene. He found footprints from small feet, another set of humanoid feet and what looked like a second person with animal-like paws that he didn't recognize. Not just one person, but three people had broken into the Warren? How?! he had layers upon layers of protective magics and charms all over his home to stop such things from happening!

Unless whoever had done this was extremely well-skilled in magic. Someone with enough knowledge of magic and had done magical dealings with Pooka before could have done it. Of course, anyone left that had met his people were old. Very, very old even by spiritual standards. Only one Guardian could get into Bunny's Warren uninvited and that was Sandy, but only because the Sandman was literally millions of years old. He knew more about magic than anyone, except maybe the Man in the Moon.

Bunny followed the trail of foot prints. The marks and scuffs on the dirt and grass showed that all three people had been running...wait. He laid nearly flat on the ground, breathing deeply to catch the faint trace of scent left in the dirt on the smallest set of foot prints. Those were Jack's?! Which meant that Jack had actually been awake somehow during his hibernation season. The other two had been chasing him? Why? The Guardian found more of the glass daggers stabbed into the ground the closer he got to Jack's resting place, tilted at angles as if they'd been thrown at Jack, and Bunny found himself growing angrier by the minute. Two people had pierced his wards and spells, broke into his Warren, and by all appearances had come to hunt down Jack. If that had been the case, then Bunny might have attacked them out of defense of his territory and protecting his mate-

-Jack. Protecting Jack. _Not my mate. 'A mate is protected from all harm'_, Aster recited from the memories of his father teaching him their people's ways. _'A mate is treasured and given respect, kindness, and love for all their days.' I never spoke a kind word to Jack before he became a Guardian, so I gave him no kindness or even the basic respect of acknowledging his existence outside of a fight. I argued against him being chosen as a Guardian and called him selfish and reckless after only speaking to him twice in all of 300 years, so I certainly didn't treasure him. _

The Pooka shuddered, his fur bristling out as he shook. _I took the unwilling, the unknowing. But it wasn't enough to just rape the boy, oh no. I bound an innocent young spirit into a magical bond without his knowledge or consent. I committed rape and have locked away Jack's ability to ever romantically love another person. I have not protected Jack from the most dangerous person near him in his most vulnerable state. I didn't protect him from me_.

Grey-furred feet slowly walked the trail to Jack's hibernation spot. The thicket being ringed with incredibly long and sharp thorny vines suddenly made a lot more sense if he had been defending Jack from an attacker. His magic reached out with a word from him, and parted the vines and bushes so he could check on the winter spirit. Aster saw him still sleeping soundly, and that the boy was naked. Where on earth had his clothes gone? He spotted the badly stained hoodie over by the roots of a bush. Examining it, he figured that by now, that stuff wasnt' going to wash out. So he'd have to get a new hoodie, but where were his pants-oh. His pants had been...ripped? Were those...were those bite marks?!

Ok, Jack needed new clothes and a blanket. Some pillows. Maybe a comforter? Bunny shook his head, then arranged the plants to cover and protect Jack once more. He had things he needed to do now, like seeing to Jack's comfort and safety. Seeing to his ma-_Jack's_ needs was paramount. He could finish having a pity-party when that was taking care of.

Aster scoured his trashed den for a blanket and found one that he quickly brought to the thicket. He laid a soft silver plush blanket to cover the naked spirit, who had grabbed and snuggled into the thing like it was a long lost friend. The Pooka then retreated from the thicket and hid it in thorny vines once again, determined to protect the winter spirit within. He then gathered up the glass pieces from the grass and trail to throw away. The Pooka knew that he would have to see to stronger seals on his gates and tunnels. If anything tried to hurt Jack now, they would have to go through Bunny. All Bunnymund could do was wait for Jack to wake up so he could try to explain.

*_Flashback end_*

It had taken three days to clean up the Warren proper and erase any trace of the spirits that had tried to invade his home. The Guardian had reinforced his barriers, wards, and spells, even going so far as to look up the most esoteric and exotic magics he could find in his library to shore up the Warren's security. A new runic ward-scheme was drawn up and activated by the power of a ley line that ran through the Warren, casting wards of intent that would shield the doors and grounds from anyone that meant harm. (Aster would have no idea how much those wards had deflected attacks from the other desert spirits that summer. But he would soon.)

It had taken that long to convince himself that he couldn't kill himself no matter how guilty he felt. The bond was still too raw, too new. If he tried to commit suicide, it would drain energy from Jack to keep Bunny alive, taking the winter spirit into death with him. When the bond had stabilized more, he decided, he would tell Jack everything and leave it to the young Guardian to decide his fate. By then, Jack would be awake and taught enough about the bond to shut off his end of it. If he asked for Aster's life, he could block the energy drain enough to protect him from dying. (This was, of course, assuming that the other Guardians didn't kill Bunny first when they found out what happened.)

Aster nodded, agreeing with his plan as he set out to fix things up.

Bunny had cleaned up his den mechanically, pulling up the roots and vines from the main door and windows, repairing walls and doors, and growing new furniture. He even found himself making things specifically in Jack's size for him to share in his den, not that he ever thought that Jack would want such a thing. (Any other time, Aster would have recognized what he was doing as part of nesting, or fixing his den to be more welcoming to his mate. But sheer emotional trauma was not exactly conductive to introspective thoughts at the time.) He would catch himself wondering where Jack slept, and what his home was like. Come to think of it, where did Jack live? He didnt' just wander the world homeless, surely not, he just hadn't told the Guardians where he lived. Right?

Bunny wondered about Jack even as he fixed his bedroom; making a soft bed and lining it with feather down and pieces of blue silk. He remembered that dirty hoodie and torn pants, marveling that he'd never seen the spirit wear anything else. Did he even own other clothing? He never changed out of the hoodie, which had looked relatively clean and well-cared for, but those pants! For the love of MiM, they had been rotting! Literally rotting; the fabric, (a special type of tough canvas used in the sails of ships), had worn to little more than bare thread and scraps. A rough piece of dirty twine had held them up in place of a belt. Either Jack was really into vintage clothing, or...he had nothing else to wear.

No home. No clothing. And to Aster's knowledge, no other material possessions other than the staff. A faint glimmer of redemption appeared in his depressed heart. Here was a way he could begin to atone. He could offer Jack a home in his Warren, (after warding it to the rafters to keep Bunnymund out, of course). Or maybe offer to help build one wherever Jack chose. Maybe underground in Burgess?

He would definitely see to it that Jack got better clothing. He needed a new hoodie, a proper shirt, some actual pants, and all of that in multiple sets, at least three of each. Bunny could do that. Even if in the quite likely event that Jack never forgave him, Aster would see to it that Jack never went without again.

A loud 'BONG' suddenly rang out from one of his gates. Bunny ran from his den, grabbing his boomerangs and egg bombs as he ran. If someone was trying to come after Jack again, they would regret it! He had his weapons in hand as he stomped one foot, appearing instantly on the other side of the door to face his opponents. His jaw dropped in surprise.

"Sandy? What are _you_ doing here?"

* * *

Next up: Fallout, Part 2.

Please review!


	10. The Fallout, Part 2: The Judge

Love. To each and every one of you guys. Seriously.

This one is shorter than I would have liked, but hey, holiday weekend, right? Lol. Happy Memorial Day!

Oh, and I can't write Sandy's signs to save my life. I tried for three whole days, cried twice, and finally just said 'screw it'. Anything underlined is Sandy talking in his sign language.

Chapter 10

The two oldest Guardians stared at each other in surprise. Sandy was holding a comically huge mallet made of golden sand, cocked back behind him like he was about to attempt another swing at the somewhat dented portal door. The Sandman's expression looked like a kid caught trying to steal from the cookie jar. Images flashed over the little man's head, roughly translating to, "Finally! Why wouldn't you answer your door? The Borealis Lights have been lit for the last two days, where have you been?! We've been worried sick!" The mallet dissolved as the look morphed to one of deep concern at the sight of the weakened Pooka. "Bunny, you look terrible, what happened?"

"Neva' mind tha'," the Pooka grumbled, lowering his boomerangs. "What do ya mean the Lights have been lit? How long?" He hadn't checked his indicator in days. Actually, hadn't he smashed the thing when he was, er, round the twist with heat?

"Two days now! We thought something had happened to you, thank goodness you're alright, and Jack-"-A much more frantic look passed over Sanderson's face as his sand images blurred into each other they were going so fast. Only thousands of years of familiarity let the Pooka translate the images at all. "North pulled out the Lights because something terrible has happened. Its Jack! We have to find him, he's not safe, have you seen him? Mother Nature contacted Toothania a week ago and told us horrible news. Did you know that there are some crazy summer spirits that have been killing off winter spirits?! They killed one last year while we were dealing with Pitch, the poor little thing was torn apart as he went into hibernation. And they just found three new sprites dead in Norway," the Sandman signed sadly.

Bunnymund blanched in horror at the news. _So that is why Jack came to the Warren! He was trying to hide from those psychos in what he thought was the safest, and probably last place they'd ever think to look_! Now he was actually glad that he'd killed the one intruder. He did wonder what had happened to the other one. "Are they insane?! Don't they know that they're messin' with the balance of nature, of the Earth itself? They could trigger the next great flood or worse! And killin' off their own kind...how could they?"

Mother Nature normally had an easy job of keeping the peace between the seasons, especially with the ingenious move of staggering the spirits' hibernations so that those most prone to fight would be completely out of sight and out of mind. So what had inspire these little nutters to act out like this? Seraphina was not a Guardian you wanted to see angry. Hell, you never even wanted to see her mildly upset. Case in point: F-5 Tornado. This was definitely a job for the Guardians to help with, before Mother Nature got really angry and called in the big guns to trigger the next ice age.

_And why didn't Jack tell us? Surely he had to know what was going on. Did...did he think we wouldn't care about keeping him safe? _Bunny thought sadly. He wouldn't put it past the sprite. After all, they hadn't cared one whit about him for 300 years, why would he think they'd start now? "So why didn't the lil' gumby tell us what's up? One of us woulda put the kid up for the season, no problem. Why the 'ell ain't he with North? Perfect spot for him, right?"

(Like hell he was going to tell Sandy about Jack staying in the Warren during his heat. The Sandman was no dummy. The little man only _looked _harmless. In that battle last year, Pitch went after Sandy first for one reason, and one reason only: Sandy was the most powerful of all the Guardians. And Sandy adored Jack as the little brother he'd never had. If Aster ever got Sanderson Mansnoozie* angry with him...Bunny shuddered at the thought of what the fallen star would do to him. )

"That's what has us all so worried," Sandy signed. "If he's not at the Pole, then where is he? Is he safe? Have they come for him yet? I found him last year by looking for his dreams, but they've completely stopped for the last week and I'm worried. Tooth's been sending out her fairies every night and I've got my Dream Beasts out looking for him too. North's actually contacted the children in Burgess to help."

"Jack's not dreaming?" Bunny's ears perked in confusion and concern. A Guardian not dreaming was a concern by itself, but for Jack to not be dreaming now...could it be because of the bond? Was his magic blocking Jack's dreams somehow? "And bringing in the kids ain't the best idea, its too dangerous. What if they run into those summer spirits? And if they do, you know they'd just go right up to 'em or their hideout and look for Jack. How are they gonna fight 'em off? You know how kids are, just charging in without a plan." He shook his head, ears twitching in agitation. "Where have you lot been lookin'?"

"Alaska, almost all of Canada, Greenland, Russia, and I was hoping you would help us cover Siberia. If we haven't found him by then, we'll have to start checking Antarctica. All of Antarctica," Sandy signed with a shudder. He wasn't a fan of the cold.

"Fine then, I'll help you search through the bloody taiga. Just how I was hoping to spend my afternoon," Aster griped. He nonchalantly recast the wards on his portal door, (not catching the shocked look on Sandy's face as he did so), fixing the damage Sandy had done with his mallet. He finished quickly and made to start running down his tunnel when suddenly he was yanked upwards by a noose of golden sand around his ankle. He tried to grab and slash the sand as it pulled him completely into the air in front of Sandy. "What the-"

A rather pointed glare from the smallest Guardian made him freeze and go silent. The sand seemed to snap and hiss as it moved over Sandy's head. "Why do you have ice magic in your aura?"

Panic filled the Pooka like he'd never known before and he desperately tried to play it off. "Wh-what are ya talkin' about?"

If anything, Sandy's glare intensified. "Do I look stupid to you?"

Bunny knew better than to answer with anything less than the utmost honesty, and answered with a shake of his head, "No."

"Really? Because it looks like you think playing dumb is actually going to fool me into thinking you having ice magic in your aura is just a fluke," the Sandman signed, his hands making hard gestures as he frowned. "I've been seeing and reading magical auras when your race was in its infancy. I've known your aura since the day we met. Now there's white and blue all over your magic and it feels like cold. Only one thing shares magic like that." The sand yanked Bunny up to Sandy's eye level as he floated in the air. "You're a crap actor, Bunny. Jack went into hibernation right around Easter; where, no one knows. You go into rut a week after Easter, every single year, and then you check in with us to be sure you didn't miss anything while you were out; you didn't this year. Then Jack's dreams shut off. You claim that you didn't see the Northern Lights for two entire days and don't answer any summons we give you. You have apparently raised your security to the maximum level on the Warren and put in new spells and wards to boot.

"Then, to top it all off, you use magic in front of me with Jack's magical signature all over it." The little Guardian gave the Pooka a look that would have given a lesser male white hair in fright. "Only one thing explains all that."

Bunnymund could do nothing to defend himself against the condemnation he saw in his oldest friend's face.

"Jack is hibernating in the Warren right now, and probably has since the day after Easter. You were in your rut, but Jack was unconscious and weak and couldn't have fought you off if his life depended on it. I think you bonded with Jack. If you did what I think you've done, I may very well skin you alive."

A very soft, despairing voice came from the normally cocky Pooka. "Ya know as well as I do that a matin' bond can't happen to the unwillin'."

He yelped as Sandy snapped the sand whip and slammed him against the wall. The sand formed bigger and sharper images to indicate Sandy shouting in anger, "But you _can _bond the _ignorant_! If Jack released magic in his sleep, that would have been more than enough to make the bond! Aster, how could you?!"

"You think I _wanted this_?!" Aster asked incredulously, fur bristling in anger. "You think I wanted to become a bloody rapist?! I don't remember what happened, not all of it, but I fought it, I know I did! His scent drove my heat longer than I'd ever had it before. I tore my den to shreds trying to get to him. I know I fought it for days longer than my normal rut, Sandy, I'd swear it on anythin', but when I woke up I was right there beside him and the mark was there! I can't remember anything more about it, but I know I fought it!"

The sand released him and the Pooka was dizzy from the blood rushing out of his head as he got to his feet. Sandy gave him a long, measuring look before 'speaking'. "You are going to open the door into the Warren. I will check on Jack, and if he's hurt, I will take him away from here if I see fit and you will not stop me." Aster nodded in understanding, no matter how much his instincts screamed against it. Sanderson went on, "And I fully intend to have Toothania check _both _your memories to verify what you've said, but not now. Now, you are going to sit and tell me everything that you _can _remember."

Bunnymund told him everything. From finding Jack in his hibernation and how much he could remember of his heat-inspired madness, to the copious amount of blood from a desert spirit he'd found in the Warren, to raising new spells and wards to protect his new mate. He told the Guardian about his intention to tell Jack the truth about what had happened. And Bunnymund explained his plan to teach Jack enough about the bond to block Aster off so that if Jack asked for his life in retaliation, it wouldn't harm the winter spirit.

Sandy was quiet for a while, thinking over everything. He then nodded to himself and signed, "I think you're on the right track to atoning to Jack. Although I truly doubt he would want you dead for this, quite frankly, I don't think vengeance is a part of his nature. But you have made a good start. Now lets go check on Jack."

* * *

...

*Went a bit more book-verse here. Sanderson Mansnoozie is the Sandman's real name. He was originally a wishing star that grew a longing to see the children that wished on him. But something went wrong, and instead of a visit, he crashed on Earth, and now cannot leave. His real age is unknown, but the books states that he's millions of years old, and has seen the birth of the human race.

Please review, and have a great weekend!


	11. The Fallout, Part 3: The Kangaroo Court

Hello again! Thank you everyone for your support and kind words.

**Some changes made this chapter, if you have read this chapter before 6/7/13, please re-read the second half, as more detail is included. Thanks to young wiccan for pointing out a few things that I had (to my everlasting embarassment) forgotten to put in the story.**

Also, thanks to ToothaniaFrost for the corrections to proper language use in the particular area of India that I think the Tooth Palace is. There are some different languages in this chapter, Russian and Tamil. Russian, of course, for our beloved Nicholas St. North. Tamil, well, for Toothania. According to the books and movie wiki, the Tooth Palace is somewhere in the tropical mountains of India. I was corrected in that Tamil would be the native language for that reason. (I figure that she doesn't have an accent because hey, she has the memories of several thousand different accents from around the world.)

Remember kiddos, all of Sandy's language and signs are underlined, since I can't write a sign-sequence to save my life.

Enjoy.

Chapter 11

Jack was still sleeping peacefully as Sanderson examined him, a twitching Bunnymund bouncing on the balls of his feet outside the thicket. A powerful dominant was near his vulnerable mate and he could do nothing, it was driving the Pooka nuts! "Done yet?" Aster called impatiently.

A very stern glare of dream sand made Bunny swallow a touch nervously and shut up. _Sandy doesn't mean him any harm, Sandy is not gonna try and take him away from me, Jack's fine, I'm fine, its all fine and- Crikey, how long does a quick exam take?! Eons?! _"Done _yet_?"

This time a small tendril of sand smacked him up the back of his head.

Sandy emerged from the thicket a moment later, motioning for Aster to come. Seeing the concern on the older Guardian's face, Bunny immediately followed. "What is it? Somethin' wrong? Did I miss somethin'?!"

Sandy signed for the worried male to calm down. "Physically, he's fine. Magically is another matter. Its not something bad, but it is worrying. The bond you made with him is...surprisingly strong, considering how it must have happened. He's all but completely coated in green magic."

Bunny frowned a bit, not understanding the problem. "And that's worryin', why, exactly?"

The Sandman shot him a look. "I'm not seeing a lot of blue or white magic. That's bad, Bunny. He's in the middle of his hibernation, he should be overflowing with ice magic, but I can barely find a shred of it now."

Now Aster began to really worry. "You mean he's not recharging his powers?"

"Not to the degree he should be," Sandy noted. He thought for a moment. "He was drained when he came to the Warren, and had what, 6 or 7 days of recharging before you went into heat? You had just come back from Easter, fully charged with the power of your believers. Even with the toll your extended heat put on you, you were still brimming with your own magic and being bolstered by your believers' energy. Mating with Jack when he'd had only a month to recharge...I think the bond is overwhelming his ice magic."

Bunnymund's ears were flat against his head in distress, wringing his hands. Dread filled him. Jack needed to have ice magic to exist. If he couldn't recharge, what would happen to him? "You mean the bond is hurtin' him? He can't recharge like this?"

Sandy reluctantly nodded. "He needs to recharge his ice magic or he won't have enough to fly, let alone fulfill his duties as a Guardian. If he goes too long without enough ice magic, he could become seriously ill. We need to lessen the effect of the bond on him. Can you dampen it from your end?"

"I can try," Aster replied, sliding down into a meditation position to properly focus. He'd never done this before, but he was familiar with bonding magic in theory. Bunny closed his eyes and concentrated on the feel of the bond. He could see the flow of his magic into Jack, and when he looked harder, he could see the bond pulling the ice magic from Jack as soon as the Earth supplied it. No wonder Jack couldn't recharge! The bond was sucking the magic out of him, trying to balance the load of magics between them. But Jack couldn't supply nearly enough power to match Bunny's and the power his believers had given him, not when he was still drained and in hibernation.

Aster focused all of his magical skill, frowning in effort as he tweaked the magical aura around them. He slowed and lessened his flow of magic into Jack, reducing the bond to less than a tenth of what it had been. It felt odd, almost painful, to try and pull himself back from Jack like that. To willingly part the most intimate part of himself from his mate felt like trying to saw off a numb body part. But he could sense the bond stabilizing as he did so. He opened his eyes, glancing at Sandy to check. "Better?"

The Sandman read Jack's aura carefully, then gave a small smile. "Much improved. Jack is already gathering some white magic. I will put some of my own wards around the thicket and the Warren's portals before we leave. Jack will be safe while we're gone."

"Gone?" Bunny blinked in surprise before his fur bristled in anger. "Where are we going? I can't leave Jack defenseless like this! The desert spirits! What if they come?"

Sandy waved his hands, his sand forming fierce tigers, snakes, dragons, and even a few knights in golden armor. He poured the powerful sand into his creations, packing them thick with energy and dense sand, the better to fight and shield their only charge. They positioned themselves around the little copse, protecting Jack. "He'll be safe here with them to help. And if any are destroyed, we can be here in a blink through your tunnels. But we have to contact the others."

"...do we have ta?" Bunny asked reluctantly.

The Sandman glared at the Pooka. "Yes. They've been worried sick about you and Jack for days, they deserve to know that you're both safe. Tooth will want to see Jack and so will those sweet little fairies of hers, to say nothing of North and his yetis. They've been scouring the globe looking for him. Its probably a good idea to tell Mother Nature that we've got Jack safe and sound- well, relatively speaking."

Bunny couldn't help his wince and lowering of his ears in shame.

"And they deserve to know what happened here too" -he signed over Bunny's protests- "because we are all going to be needed to help Jack get through the aftermath of being bonded against his will and knowledge! Tooth will need to help both of you see and work through the memories you have, and North, well, you know how Jack sees North." Like a father, they both didn't have to say. "North can help him cope with this and come to terms with it, and if nothing else," here Sanderson leveled a flat look at the Pooka, "North deserves to get his pound of flesh out of your stupid hide. So does Tooth. You cannot and will not deny them this."

Aster's shoulders slumped as he nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right."

"Lets go," Sanderson signed, his golden sand forming his trademark cloud.

Bunnymund shook his head, gathered his magic, and summoned his egg-golems. More than 20 golems lumbered down the valley to ring the thicket and stand among the sand warriors. All of their faces turned to fierce scowls as they stood sentinel over their creator's mate. "Now, we can go."

The Pooka tapped his foot twice and was gone, Sandy following swiftly behind him.

A few minutes later, they emerged outside the magical wards of Santoff Clausen, racing over the frozen snow the rest of the way. The doors were opened by four of the many yetis that were at work, with the infamous Phil coming over, wringing his large hands as they hurried to the Central Control room. Dozens of worried yetis looked imploringly at Bunny and Sandy, and with a small start, Aster realized that they were hoping from news about Jack. Sandy wasn't kidding, they really were panicking about Frostbite.

Bunny began pacing.

This was not going to go well.

Sandy's golden sand waved and shone in the light, catching the attention of all the elves and yetis listening. The sand formed the image of a sleeping Jack laying on soft grass. "Jack's at the Warren, safe and sound. Jack's fine."

The sound of whoops and shouts of joy echoed all over the Workshop, yetis hugging and elves blowing horns in happiness. Phil immediately lumbered over and set off the Northern Lights, calling back North and Tooth's many helpers.

* * *

**_One hour later..._**

A little Tooth Fairy was dispatched to the home of Mother Nature to tell her what they'd found the moment that Toothania had been assured that Jack was found.

Of course, the issue became whether or not Jack was safe, once Bunnymund started talking. Bunny told them everything that he could remember about his heat. At least the parts fit for the ears of a lady. Sandy confirmed it, and told of how the state he'd found Jack in. When Tooth and North had demanded to see Aster's memories for proof that he hadn't harmed Jack any further, Bunny refused. That was private. That was for _Jack_. For his eyes only unless he said otherwise. Bunny had violated enough of Jack without destroying any privacy the winter spirit had.

That hadn't been good enough for the Guardian of Wonder. North had then growled out the question as to why Bunny hadn't left the Warren. If he could tell his heat was getting worse, beyond his control, why hadn't he left? By Aster's own words, he hadn't locked himself into his den until well after the ninth day of his extended heat. If he'd been lucid enough to try and protect Jack by locking himself up, why hadn't he just left the Warren? Why didn't Bunny go to one of the other Guardians, who could have stood guard over Jack or helped Bunny by confining him until his heat worked itself out?

The answer had utterly shamed the Pooka when he realized it to himself and forced the words out. Pride. His own stubborn, stupid pride has stopped him from leaving the Warren. He hadn't wanted the others to see him like that, so completely out of control. He'd thought that he could handle it, that he didn't need any help from anyone. He could have stopped this from ever happening, but his pride had been too much for him to swallow.

And now Jack Frost would suffer the consequences of E. Aster Bunnymund's pride for the rest of his life.

Needless to say, the other Guardians were not pleased. The beating had been going on for almost twenty minutes now.

_Pow!_

"Я сделаю вас желаю вам никогда не родились, вы отвратительны извращенец!"

A grey blur slid across the wooden floor of the Control room, spatters of blood dotting the thick fur. Bunny panted as he tried to get back to his feet, blood trickling down his nose and muzzle. "I neva'...meant...for this ta happen-"

The Russian warrior looked like a red-coated bull charging as he stomped towards the Pooka, the rage in his face more than enough to terrify Pitch into wetting his pants. "Вы думаете, что это оправдание за то, что вы сделали?!"

"No! North, I know nothing excuses it, but-urk!" Bunny tried to pry the large hand that gripped him by the throat as North lifted him from the floor and slammed him into the wall. A hard kick in the gut made him fight back the reflext to puke as Toothania's violet eyes glinted angrily. "T-Tooth-"

"நீங்கள் அடக்கடவுளே! You call yourself a Guardian?!" she shrieked in fury, her feathers bristling. "Jack trusted you! He came to your home because he thought he'd be safe, not raped by a closet pedophile!"

"Hey!" Bunny shouted and kicked out, forcing Tooth back as he fought to loosen the grip North had on him. "It wasn't like tha'! He's my mate-"

"Как вы смеете?! Как ты смеешь вести себя как Вы какие-то жертвы, когда жертва вашего преступления теперь вечно связаны как ваш приятель?!" North roared in anger, dust shaking from the rafters as every yeti and elf cowered in fear of their boss's temper.

"I'll make it right," Aster choked out. "Even if it takes all eternity, I'll make this right somehow."

Snapping blue eyes narrowed as North glared at the Pooka, finally switching back to English. "Explain how you make this right. Or I get new rug for office and roast rabbit for dinner with Jack." He released his hold and Bunny slid to the ground with a thump.

"I'm really curious how you're going to pull off fixing a forced mating bond," Toothania hissed, her normally sweet voice filled with wrath. Sandy drifted over, a gentle hand resting on her shoulder, and the Guardian of Memories calmed slightly. She shook her head. "I can't even imagine how Jack's going to feel when he finds out."

"Jack can take it out on me as much as he wants," Aster said, standing slowly. He wouldn't meet their eyes, still too ashamed. "I'll tell him everything. Every bit of it. I'll teach him about the bond and how to block his end of it. If he blocks it, he won't feel any backlash if he hurts me. So if he wants me to commit _dainsur_, I'll do it, no protests."

North shot a confused look with Tooth. "Dainsur?"

"Ritual suicide." The Pooka finally looked at the Guardian of Wonder, the shame and regret clear in his green eyes. "Its only offered to the worst of the worst, to allow them some honor in death. Or he could kill me himself. Whatever he wants. I have no right or desire to deny him what he wants."

Tooth gasped in horror. For all her anger, she hadn't wished death on her friend. "Bunny-"

"If that's what Jack wants, we do not tell him no," North said firmly. "You agree, Sandy?"

The Sandman nodded in agreement. A reflection of moonlight glinting off the console of the Globe caught the eyes of all the Guardians. A quiet but firm voice rang inside their heads, signifying the Man in the Moon's verdict.

_The crime was done to Jack. Jack will decide the punishment. None shall argue for more severity or leniency, no matter what Jack chooses_. No one had ever heard MiM speak like this before; but none of them had ever committed such an act against another.

_Let it be done as he wills_.

The four Guardians bowed their heads in acceptance.

Now that this was settled, they had other things to worry about. Like tracking down the insane summer spirits.

* * *

Russian translations:

"I will make you wish you had never been born, you disgusting pervert!"

"You think that's an excuse for what you have done?!"

Tamil translation:

"Damn you!"

Russian again:

"How dare you?! How dare you act like some kind of victim when the victim of your crime is now eternally bonded to you as your mate?!"

...

Please review! Oh, and to answer something dear Sheejan brought up: Lets just say, Manny has a lot of faith in Jack.


	12. Alarm and Clock

Hi guys! Thank you again for all your kind words and reviews, I really appreciate them all. Dear Sheeijan, thank you for your ideas and support.

There seems to have been some confusion as to when Jack is going to wake up. Don't worry, that's all resolved now, lol.

My apologies that its not longer. Some...drama...(that's the only polite way I can phrase it), happened with my ex husband, that nearly ended up permanently traumatizing my two little girls. Don't worry, my frying pan met his balls in an epic battle. The skillet won.

Enjoy.

Chapter 12

The Tooth Fairy had the thought to go to the children as soon as she could to tell them that Jack had been found. The children of Burgess had been so relived to find out that Jack was safe, and Jamie had sent along a card (more like an overloaded poster) from them all that wished Jack the best. Toothania had teared up a bit at the sight of the poster, knowing how much Jack would love it. Granted, it was going to take some doing to make sure none of the liberal amount of blue glitter (little Sophie's addition) fell off as she flew back to the Tooth Palace to store it for him. She didn't find out for nearly a month that her little fairies had been inspired by the art, and had made Jack a card too. Or, rather, several thousand.

With nearly a metric ton of blue glitter involved in the creative process.

Nearly a week later, Mother Earth had sent a message to the Guardians. She detailed the names of the Summer spirits that were causing so much trouble, and their main territories. Two of the five, Djinn and Sutekh, hadn't been seen in almost a month. It seemed to confirm Bunnymund's memories of defending Jack from them, which was a positive sign for all the Guardians to consider.

The other three were suspected of using transporting magic to jump across the world, which would make them much harder to track down. Emesh, Notos, and Nuba were some of the oldest spirits around. They knew a great deal of magic from many parts of the world, and seemed to be pooling their knowledge to keep them hidden. At least they tended to return to their home regions often; the best chance of catching them would be some kind of ambush.

Little tooth fairies would scour the deserts and territories at night during their rounds of collecting teeth, and a few brave yetis had volunteered to go hunting during the colder nights in the vast deserts. Bunnymund was single-handedly patrolling multiple deserts at once, able to race across them with his incredible speed. He was rather eager to meet the Summer spirits that would have dared to harm Jack. (And he desperately needed something to do to keep his mind off the incessant need to be near and solidify further the bond with his sleeping, vulnerable mate.)

Sandy had posted his dream sentinels in every desert the spirits were known to roam. As soon as any activity appeared, he could send out the call to the other Guardians. They were more than ready to put down the group and protect their Jack.

But it seemed that the loss of two of their number had taught the other three caution. They were in deep hiding somewhere, and their ancient knowledge of magic was shielding them from magical sight. For now, at least. North was firmly of the opinion that they would get complacent or cocky sooner or later. And as soon as they showed themselves, the Guardians would be there to bring them to justice.

Pitch's part in the scheme wouldn't be discovered for a long while. But then again, Pitch always had been good at hiding things from the Guardians...

* * *

_Four and a half months later..._

Bunny had regularly patrolled his hundreds of tunnels near the Warren for months now. He'd found small, almost insignificant signs of spirits that had been prowling near the edges of his wards within his first day of rounds. If Aster hadn't been aware of the Summer spirits and their plot, he could have and most likely would have dismissed the signs as nothing, or maybe some kind of animal's tracks. The spirits had known how to cover their tracks and nearly all traces of their magical signature, and would have escaped unchallenged with Jack if Bunny hadn't been there to protect him.

The Pooka had been enraged at the discovery. The signs were barely a few months old, meaning that the Summer spirits had known where Jack was, had maybe even followed him for MiM knew how long. They had been testing the Warren's magical defenses, and had clearly found them lacking to keep them out for long. He had even found where the two desert spirits had punched through his ward scheme, a weakness he'd never known it had. He had already made adjustments to compensate for it, but the principle still stood. He needed to protect Jack.

He wanted to be near Jack so badly, but no longer trusted himself to do so. He didn't dare step foot into his home only to be confronted by the deliciously intoxicating scent of mint. Oh, his heat wouldn't affect him for another year, but it would still be increasingly hard to not give a small nuzzle or little touch to his mate's shoulder or neck.

And he'd had time to finally come to grips with calling Jack that. His mate. Not the term like it was normally used in an Aussie's context, but a real mate, a bonded eternally mate. He didn't deserve it, and MiM knew Jack didn't deserve it either, but...it was frightening and wonderful all at once. The last of the Pookas finally had a bond-mate. No matter what happened, Bunnymund knew that he would never be alone. For someone that had lost his entire species, that was something incredible and to be cherished no matter how it happened. But oh gods, if only it hadn't happened like it had...

A soft swirl of mint on a cooler than normal breeze made him go completely still. He threw open his magical senses and searched, pushing his magic down every tunnel and wall. It pushed through the doors and gates of the Warren, echoing through his magical golems and plants until it reached the thicket. His magic rejoiced at finding the building, surging crest of white and glacial blue of Jack's magic. Jack's power stirred and grew, unfurling like the leaves of a flower, or like fronds of frost over a window pane. Awareness shot through the power like a bolt of lightning, and Bunnymund gasped in shock, hope, anxiety, and even the faintest slivers of fear and joy mixed.

Jack was awake.

* * *

A pair of bleary eyes blinked awake as pale pink lips opened wide in a yawn. Pale young limbs stretched in the best way, absently scratching over a spot on his chest. Glacier blue eyes blinked clear at the surprising feel of a soft blanket over his legs and waist. Long fingers gently touched the silvery cloth, and Jack smiled at the sight of it. Someone had cared enough to cover him in case he was, the winter spirit found a chuckle at the thought, cold. A quick mental check on his magical reserves had the spirit smiling. He was fully charged and ready to go out and have some fun!

A flash of golden sand came to him from the corner of his eye, and Jack looked surprised to see a small bird made of dream sand fly off from what looked to be a perch in the thorns around his thicket. Had Sandy put it there? Was he worried about Jack?

Or had he found Bunny? Oh please, let Sandy have found Bunny! Jack felt a surge of worry and concern for his friend. Along with some major embarrassment and a mental promise of one hell of a beat-down. What the hell had those freak spirits done to the Easter Bunny? And did someone, _anyone_, manage to fix it? If not, Jack was more than eager to track down those damned spirits and make them pay for every single second of suffering they'd forced on others.

A loud series of chirps was his only warning as a very relived and happy Baby Tooth crashed into Jack's chest. The teen frantically scrambled to cover up his lower half with one hand as the other cradled the little fairy to him. Once he got back his composure, (and protected his modesty), he answered her urgent nuzzles and little kisses of her beak with a small, genuine smile. "Hey, Baby Tooth. Wow, hehe, you act like you're happy to see me."

She chirped softer now, eyes closing in contentment as she lay her cheek against his.

Jack blinked in surprise at her display of more-obvious-than-usual affection. "I missed you too, B.T. How's the old Hopper? Back to his old grumpy self, or still nuttier than squirrel"-(big, innocent violet eyes looked up at him, and he instantly modified his language)-"sa. Squirrels, I mean, nuttier than a squirrel, 'cause you know, squirrels, nuts...oh boy," he hung his head at his own nonsense, the little fairy nearly rolling out of his hand in laughter. "That was bad, wasn't it? Well I'm glad you think its funny. But seriously, how is he?"

Baby Tooth just shook her head, the little gold feather waving back and forth. It looked like Jack didn't understand just what had happened to him. Maybe he didn't remember? Oh well. She was just glad that she wasn't the one that was going to have to explain it to him.

She honestly pitied the one that had to explain all of this.

* * *

...

Bonus points and shout-outs to whoever picks out the real histories and story behind these new spirits' names!

Please review!


	13. Waking up to a New You

OMG, YOU GUYS!

You all are so epically awesome. Seriously. Thank you for all your kind comments, reviews, and a big thanks to everyone that spotted stuff wrong and helped me correct it. I have no beta, so I really appreciate it when people help out.

Oh, last thing; I have a bit of a problem. I can either get out short chapters frequently, or longer chapters that take longer to get out. Help?

Sandman's speech is underlined, because I just can't write his sand images.

Enjoy.

Chapter 13

Bunny froze, trying to process the thousands of thoughts that raced through his mind. Jack was awake. His mate was awake and here, and oh sweet Moon, what was he going to tell him?! He heard the sound of rasping gasps and belatedly realized they were coming from him. he fought to shut off his end of the bond, he couldn't send this mess to Jack! With a wrench of his powers, the link was shut, and the Pooka began racing through the tunnels. He had to get to the Pole before he gave into his instincts and ran right towards his mate.

Manny only knew just how bad that was bound to frighten the poor spirit.

* * *

Jack blinked in confusion at Baby Tooth's look, but shrugged it off for now. He would see Bunny soon enough -

A shuddering ripple of magic made Jack shiver and gasp, like being suddenly splashed with water. A surge of emotions had crashed through him; a mishmash of anxiety, worry, affection, anger, and annoyance that was shoved into a tight ball in the pit of his stomach. It was gone in a flash, but it left the winter spirit dazed. At Baby Tooth's concerned chirp, he waved it off as nothing. What the hell had just happened? The teen shook his head to clear it, and slowly began to stand, keeping the blanket wrapped tight around his waist. "Baby Tooth? You know where I can find some clothes?"

She chirped softly with a nod, flitting over to a spot just inside the ring of thorn bushes. She pulled out a set of clothing Jack hadn't seen before, clean and brand new. She smiled cheerfully at Jack and waited for him to put them on. The little fairy didnt' quite understand why Jack wasn't getting dressed. He sure did turn interesting colors though.

"Ah, B.T.? Could you, um, give a guy a little privacy? I'm pretty sure Mama Tooth would kill me if I let you see something past the PG rating."

She cocked her head in confusion, and then noticed Jack's blanket slipping a bit. She blushed a brilliant red, squeaked, and flew at top speed out of the thicket.

Jack breathed a soft sigh of relief and reached for the new clothes. He paused a moment, smiling slightly at the thought that these were brand new clothes that he hadn't had to, ahem, rescue from the garbage or donation bins. Did Bunny bring those (_notgonnathinkaboutit, notgonnathinkaboutit, notgonnathinkaboutit_)- Jack forced anything like memory and his body shaking and emotions and _can'tstopshaking_ to the back of his mind, locked the door, and threw out the key. Oh look, new clothes. Well, at least whoever picked them out had good taste.

Jack was now wearing a fitted white t-shirt with a series of small silver and blue geometric shapes scattered throughout the front and back. Dark brown khaki cargo pants that were cinched tight at the ankles looked much better on him than his old pants. He finally had enough pockets for all his non-existant stuff, he thought with a laugh. Well, besides that gag gift of a silver watch from the kids he got for Christmas. (The little fact that he had that in a special place for him to pick up after his hibernation so that it wouldn't be ruined by exposure to the Earth's magic meant nothing, really.) The feel of something bouncing on his legs made him still. With a jolt, he realized that there were things already in these pockets.

One pocket had Jack pulling out a pair of very trendy sunglasses. These would actually help a lot considering the glare of sunlight on snow could get rather irritating after a while. The pocket below that held a lifetime movie pass to the cinema in Burgess. Another pocket held a set of reverse-wrap headphones. These would curl around the back of his head to curl around each ear, and they were some of the best on the market that Jack had seen and admired in Tokyo. The pocket on the other side of that had a gift that complimented the headphones perfectly; a brand new Ipod. The obscenely long list of Christmas songs pre-loaded on it let him know who those were from.

The last pocket had a brand new, fully loaded smart phone. He didn't recognize the model, but suspected that North had made this especially for him. It was loaded with all the movies he and Jamie had watched together, as well as a lot of games and music. The silver case was engraved with snowflakes and patterns of frost.

A lump grew in his throat as he saw the gifts. Oh, Jack had gotten things at Christmas from the Guardians, but this felt different. He couldn't even think of why they had gotten him these things. He remember that Bunny had got him-_stop thinking, stop thinking, stop thinking_-

He wasn't done with his wardrobe. A new dark blue hoodie with white faux fur at the hood and wrists went over the shirt. This also had a present in the pockets. The lowest pocket had a pair of fingerless gloves made of navy blue leather with a metal plate stitched onto the backs. One of the jacket's inside pockets had a dark grey winter cap. The other held a small silver chain with a crystal shard on it.

That gift kind of surprised him. He didn't really consider himself a necklace kind of a guy, but hey, someone had went to all the trouble of getting it for him. A quick scan of the thicket showed his staff right where he'd left it. He pulled out the aged wood and just held it a moment, reconnecting his powers and energy reserve with it. At the bend where the crook of the staff began, he tied the chain and crystal. Frost poured out over the shard, filling the stone with a tiny spark of light blue and white magic swirling like a gust of wind.

Jack blinked in surprise. Huh. He'd never seen his magic do that before. That shard kind of looked like it belonged there on his staff.

He pulled on the gloves, tested out the cap, and smiled at the soft, comfortable fit. The moment he shrugged on the hoodie, his magic flared over the clothes, soaking them with power. The jacket was slowly covered with the same delicate patterns of frost that his old hoodie had borne.

His magic flooding the outfit had another effect. The charms and mild spells that the Guardians had woven into his clothing activated. Unbeknownst to Jack, his clothing would now help repel rain to keep him dry; cooling charms would keep him nice and cold in the middle of heat; smaller spells and attacks would slide right off him. The crystal shard necklace was actually a piece of the Moon Crystal that all the Guardians wore. It helped them magically search and find the others if they were kidnapped or attacked.

A small tendril of dream sand floated into Jack's vision, and the winter spirit turned to see Sandy and Baby Tooth smiling at him over the tops of the bushes. "Sandy! Hey man, its great to see you. Check this out!" He slid the sunglasses on. "How do I look?"

Sandy grinned and gave him a double thumbs up. The dream sand acted like exploding fireworks in approval. Baby Tooth smiled, then put two fingers to her beak and wolf-whistled long and low.

Both men looked at her in surprise, Jack blushing a bit. "Uh, I'll take that as the compliment you meant it as," Jack said with a bashful chuckle. He focused on the Sandman. "I'm glad you're here, something's up. Did you guys find Bunny anywhere? Something's really wrong with him, he was acting all weird and"-Jack found himself blushing, wondering how the hell he was going to explain this. He had to stop his magic from reacting at the thought of the Pooka. _Bunny hadn't been himself, something had been desperately wrong with him, it wasn't his fault, oh god, stop thinking about it_-Well, when in doubt, deflect. "And I think he was beign controlled! There were two spirits, they broke into the Warren and did something to him! Old, like, dinosaur old desert spirits, Sutekh and Djinn, they broke in to, ah, well, get me."

Jack winced at what he was about to say. "I know I should have told you guys, but I didn't think they had a chance in he-"-(A sudden flash in his mind of Tooth glaring at him made him instantly adjust his language in front of Baby Tooth,)-"er, heck of breaking in here! I should have told Bunny, but I didn't see him before I knocked out for my hibernation. Five desert spirits have been going around messing with the winter and autumn spirits when they're hibernating. And it was just like pranks at first, but last year, they killed Salliere," Jack said softly. He hadn't been friends with the young spirit, but no one had deserved to die like that.

He went on, worry growing in his voice. "And those spirits, they did something to him! To Bunny, he wasn't acting like himself! Or, anyone besides a meth addict. he was talking crazy, Sandy, like he barely even knew where he was. If you're here, you guys found him, right? You have to help him, he would never have done what he did if he was, ah, sober? Not done up with voodoo"-

Sandy, realizing that Jack was in full babble mode, flicked a tendril of sand over Jack's mouth. Blue eyes went wide as he followed the Sandman's signs. "Bunny is fine, he's at Santoff Clausen. We're all going there to talk about what happened and to be sure that you're safe, Jack." Here, Sandy gave a sorrowful look. "Mother Nature told us what was happening. She also told us that three winter spirits were killed by the summer spirits."

"What? No! Who?!" Jack cried in horror. What the hell was the matter with those Summer spirits?! How could they do this?!

Sandy shook his head, "We'll fill you in at the Pole. Come along, we need to hurry." He ushered the younger spirits ahead of him, pulling out one of North's snow globes and using it to transport them to the North Pole.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

They arrived at a scene of near chaos. Yeti were hurrying everywhere, clearing away toys and work tables. Others were frantically sweeping and cleaning, pulling out a long fancy table and what looked like seven small thrones to put at it. The elves were going nuts, or their version of it, by actually working. They were putting out flowers and ribbons, placing what looked like dozens of potted plants all over the main Control Room.

The three just stared at the commotion in surprise. "What...is going on?" Jack asked in bewilderment. A quick flash of light on green feathers, and three fairies had zoomed over to Baby Tooth, chattering excitedly at her. She chirped back and pointed to Jack, who smiled and waved slightly at them, making two of them swoon. Baby Tooth scolded them, chirping an apology and goodbye to Jack as she flew off with the others.

He glanced over at Sandy, who was giving him a look that was teasing. The Sandman wagged his eyebrows, his sand making images that basically translated to a drawling, near mocking tone as he said, "Ladies man, are we?"

Jack blushed. "Cut it out, old man. Hey!" he called over to a familiar yeti, "Hey Phil! What's going on? What's with the big centerpiece?"

Phil had just carried in a large wreath of flowers, cherry blossoms by the look of it, and had placed it on the top of the most ornate throne. He looked actually nervous as he said a short sentence to them in Yetish and ran off to do something else.

Jack looked at Sandy. "Did you catch that? My Yetish is a little rusty."

Sandy looked rather startled as he explained to Jack, "He said that Mother Nature is coming. Here. Right now! She'll be here any minute! The other Guardians are getting cleaned up to see her." He patted himself down

"Mother-here-but why? What does She want with the Guardians?" he asked in confusion.

"She's not here for us, she's here for you," Sanderson answered as the door opened.

!~!~!~~!~!~!~! ~!~~

...

Okay, I have a confession. Concerning the spirits' names I asked everyone to guess at, I apparently misspelled a name. 'Ba' should have been 'Nuba', for the Chinese goddess of drought. Anyone that guessed on her, my sincerest apologies. I have just now gone back and fixed that.

Notos is the Greek god of the arid South Wind.

Emesh, per the source I used (so if I've completely screwed this up, mea culpa), is the Babylonian god of the Summer.

So many kudos and love to...

BlackFoxGun, Akrokomatia, Guest, and B.C. Crossing!


	14. Revelations, Part 1: Cracking Mask

*bows before you all* You guys. You have no idea how much I appreciate you and the reviews, PMs, and art you have given me.

My apologies that this is so late. Went on vacay, got flooded out of the place we stayed at, _then_ got trapped by the flooding and couldn't come home. My girls were miserable. It completely wrecked my muse to hell and back.

Enjoy.

Chapter 14

Toothania fluttered out the door, still giving out the directions to her fairies, and was now dressed in her best accessories. A golden gauze sarong was around her waist folded over her torso, pinned with jeweled clip of amethysts and gold at her shoulder. Light silver bangles with tiny bells chimed on her arms, and a small silver circlet framed her face. Her fairy lieutenants came out behind her, each wearing a tiny silver cuff on their wrists. She flew over to a chair and sat, her fairies sitting on the upper half of the chair even as she kept to her hurried commands.

At Baby Tooth's excited chirping and waving, Tooth looked up and saw Jack, immediately flying over to hug him. Hard. "Jack! Oh, thank goodness you're awake, we've missed you so much! How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Did you brush your teeth?!" She leaned in, her fingers getting his jaw open to examine them. The Tooth Fairy grinned and sighed happily at the sight of the beautiful teeth, then hugged Jack again. "We missed you so much!"

Jack staggered a bit at the rather firm hold she had him in, then found himself laughing a bit as he hugged her back. Missed you too, Toothy. His cheeks began to flush a bit at her not letting go. "Tooth? Need air. Need air! Tooth!"

"Oh! Sorry, Jack!"

Sandy drifted over to one of the chairs as he ran a sand comb though his hair. North bustled his way in a few seconds later. His black boots were shined, a new red coat with thick white fur trim was on his shoulders, and a very bright white shirt with pressed trousers completed his look. North gave Jack a joyous greeting, hugging him warmly. "Jack, my boy! So good to see you! How are you feeling? You alright?"

"Uh, y-yeah, I'm good, I'm fine," Jack said with a smile as he was held in the air by the older man's arms, hugging the jolly man back. "Good to see you too, big guy. think you can put me down, now?"

"Ah! Yes, down, here you go. She will be here any minute, you look best now, very good. Now, you like your presents? You look good, yes?"

The teen grinned, leaning back to show off the clothing. "Love it."

North smiled happily, despite his air of mild fluster. "Good to know. You should find seat, Mother Nature will be here soon!" He went over to his chair, which the elves had festooned with holly.

Jack was surprised by the Guardians going to such lengths to look good for Mother Nature. Wasn't She kind of outside of their jurisdiction? As far as Jack knew, the Guardians were only concerned with children. What had them so shook up about Her?

He'd met her only twice, and he hadn't known that She was a formal occasion. Granted, he thought She was the scariest thing he'd ever seen, but he was biased by necessity. All nature spirits had a healthy respect and a whopping dose of fear for the Guardian of Nature, and obeyed Her without question. Well, mostly. (Jack was rather notorious for his disrespect for authority. His sass to Mother Nature had been the actual cause of the infamous Blizzard of '68. Since he had been the one to anger Her, Jack did hold himself responsible for it, and never corrected Bunny's insults about the incident.)

Jack felt his heart skip a beat as the door opened again, and Bunnymund stepped through. Jack could barely control his body's urge to bolt. So many thoughts, memories, and emotions shot through him right then that he could hardly think. Anger and something like rage; embarrassment and shame; even pity for Bunnymund swept through him.

Jack, to his utter shock, found himself grateful for his proficiency in his emotional mask of a joker. It was all the was holding him together right now.

The winter spirit sighed quietly as he saw the Pooka in good health. Despite everything that had happened, he was still glad that Aster was ok. He was relieved to see that Bunny looked no worse for wear after his experience with the summer spirits. He had lost that haunted, mad look and put back on his lost weight. But Jack could see that tension radiated off the Pooka, despite his outwardly relaxed appearance. His fur had been combed and brushed until it shone glossy in the light. HIs bracers and holsters were off gold-stamped green leather, set with small, polished gold studs. This was the first time Jack had ever seen Bunny wear anything like clothes, with a long vest of fine green leather that was cinched to his chest with brown leather laces. Their eyes met-

-_a__ crashing wave of emotion, too complex to even begin to name, it washed over him like a tidal __wave_-

Jack gasped, nearly stumbling to catch himself as the emotions ended as abruptly as they'd begun. All the Guardians started, sending him worried looks, (Jack somehow missing the quickly shot glare Sandy gave to a chagrined Aster.) The Winter spirit forced himself to smile and shrugged it off. "I'm fine, just...finding my feet, I guess. Hibernation messes up your system for a few days after you wake up."

He walked over to the last chair: a Victorian high-backed throne with dark blue plush velvet cushions. "Really? This thing? I thought they killed all of these when they invented Laz-E-Boys. He raised puppy eyes to North. What does a guy gotta do to get a bean-bag chair?"

North shot him a look. "No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

Jack frowned. "Don't make me pull out the big guns."

North raised an eyebrow. "What big guns?"

Jack turned towards Tooth.

North flinched. "Oh no."

Jack began to slowly pout. The little fairies looked on in fascination as the Winter spirit, for the first time, turned on every last bit of his considerable charisma as he raised soulful, pleading blue eyes to the Tooth Fairy and her helpers. Toothania looked distinctly stunned and a bit breathless. (To her credit, the woman hadn't had close contact with an attractive, sweet bad-boy in millenia. Her tolerance for 'naughty yet charming' had greatly diminished over the years due to lack of exposure. Jack pulling this stunt was the equivalent of dropping a sugar-starved kid into a candy store on Free-Sample Friday.)

North had no idea of any of this, but he knew caving when he saw it. The Russian grew alarmed. "No, Tooth! Don't give in!"

Jack threw in a small hiccup and tiny sniffle, as if he was tearing up. "He won't let me have my bean-bag chair. You'll let me use my bean-bag chair, won't you, Tooth?"

Bunny and Sandy were staring in silent amazement at the sight, exchanging looks of mild confusion. What the hell was a bean-bag chair?

"Mother of the Moon," Toothania breathed, dazzled by the sight of Jack's perfect teeth framed in a light pout. "Absolutely, Sweet Tooth, you can have your bean-bab whatever."

Jack instantly lost the pout, smiled brightly, (several mini-fairies fainted), and grinned at North. "Tooth said I could. I'll go get it." He walked out of the room.

A bewildered North turned to Aster and Sanderson. "What just happened?"

Sandy moved to sign, then stopped himself, shaking his head.

Bunny found himself smiling, sensing Jack's emotions over the bond. "That little scamp. He did tha' on purpose."

"What?" North blinked in shock.

Aster couldnt' help his small grin. "Jackie's breakin' the tension. He doesn't wanna see us scared o' Her."

Sandy silently laughed as a flustered Tooth came to her senses. She blushed, found a chuckle, and relaxed back into her chair. Nicolas St. North smiled, then sank back into his chair, the air of tension and anxiety in the room broken by Jack's shenanigans.

Jack came back through the doors dragging his red bean-bag chair. He used his foot to push the throne back a bit, and happily plopped the bag down onto his chair, using it instead of the chair's cushion. He leaned his staff against the chair in easy reach and sat tailor style on his seat. "Ooh, eggnog. Hey North, is this your recipe?"

"Ah? Nyet, is from Sandy's stock. He had own way of doing it," the older man said.

"Sweet. So," Jack said with a mischievous grin as he pulled a cup of eggnog to himself from the tray on the table, "what's up with you guys and Mother Nature? You all act-" Jack took a small sip, and paused. "...um, Sandy my man, is this eggnog spiked?"

The cheesy grin on the Sandman's face made the other Guardians glanced down with some concern at their own cups.

Jack shook his head with a laugh. "Sandy," he mock-admonished. "Not in front of the ladies. But seriously, what's up with you guys acting so jittery around Her? I know why I am, but I don't get why you guys are."

"She's not a bad person! Just...forceful. Very forceful," Tooth said with a small grimace. "Nature isn't good or bad, its neutral; so She has to be neutral. Of course, it also doesn't pay to tick off the most powerful spirit in existence. Some people can't handle dealing with her."

"Not to mention, she's Pitch's daughter," Bunny said with a deliberate shrug.

Jack did a rather fantastic spit take. "*Cough, cough* Sh-she, She's what?! No way!" Jack said in shock, nearly falling off his bean bag. "Pitch had a baby? Like, someone actually had a baby with Mr. Creepy McScarypants? Really? When did this happen?!"

A new voice, a female base that rang with ancient magic, spoke from the now open main doors of Santoff Clausen. "I was conceived long before my father was warped into the creature he has become."

Mist seeped into the room, creeping across the floor. Jack could feel the Earth magic crackling and singing in the air. The holly on North's chair was now growing into the chair's wood. Vines were twining themselves around the throne North had provided for the ancient spirit. The few elves that had stayed in the room were now cowering in terror under the table.

A tall, regal, pale woman walked through the doors. She was easily 8 feet tall, with long, flowing black hair. Rich brown eyes took in the room, framed by an aristocratic face. She wore a dress of deep green that touched the floor; the dress itself seemed to be alive, as if grown and made from a single living leaf. She walked over to her chair, slowly sitting down.

"Thank you for this meeting, Guardians," she gave a royal nod to the Sandman, Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, and Santa Clause. "And I am pleased to see you well, Jack Frost," she said with a small nod to the winter spirit.

He cleared his throat a bit nervously. "Nice to see you too, ma'am."

"I see congratulations are in order," Seraphina Pitchiner* said with a small smile. "You have made a fine choice in bonding with the Pooka. He will treat you well." She glanced at rapidly paling Aster. "Or he will answer to me."

Jack blinked. "What?"

* * *

...

Bookverse again. *Seraphina Pitchiner (god, I hope I spelled that right) is indeed the daughter of Kosmotis Pitchiner, now known as Pitch Black the Nightmare King.


End file.
